What does repellence mean?
Repellence is a formal noun for the quality of being repellent: the capacity to provoke strong dislike, disgust, or aversion. It is especially used for qualities, objects, or experiences that produce an instinctive wish to avoid them, as in references to the repellence of a smell, a mannerism, or a cruel action. The word can also mean the power or function of repelling people, objects, or forces, as in the defensive repellence of a fortified structure. In ordinary conversation, people are more likely to say that something is repulsive, repellent, or disgusting, but repellence gives these ideas a formal and distinctly literary tone. The term is useful when discussing not merely ugliness or unpleasantness, but an active quality that pushes others away.
nounThe quality of being repellent or causing strong dislike or aversion. It can also refer to the power or capacity of something to repel people or forces.
- The quality of causing strong dislike, disgust, or aversion.
- The power or capacity to repel people, objects, or forces.
"The sheer repellence of the smell made her step back from the door."
"His reputation for cruelty was surrounded by an almost physical repellence."
"The fort's defensive walls were designed for maximum repellence against an invading force."
The plural is rare and normally used when discussing different qualities or instances of being repellent.
"The novel explores the various repel[l]ences of urban life."
Repellence names the invisible force that makes something instinctively unwanted.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does repellence come from?
Repellence entered English in the early 17th century from French repellence, which was derived from Latin repellentia, a noun meaning the action of repelling or the quality of being repelled. The ultimate root is the Latin verb repellere, meaning to drive back or repel. The same Latin family produced repellent, repulsion, and repulsive, all of which share the idea of pushing away or causing avoidance.
Related word forms
How repellence is actually used
The noun is relatively formal and literary. In contemporary usage, its first sense often describes an immediate feeling of disgust or intense dislike, while its second sense is more technical and describes a repelling or defensive function.
Easily confused with repellence
Repellence is the quality of being repellent, whereas repellent is commonly an adjective describing something that causes dislike and can also be a noun for a substance or device that repels.