What does repugnancy mean?
Repugnancy means intense disgust, aversion, or moral outrage toward something regarded as repulsive or fundamentally objectionable. The word is especially associated with serious ethical or social disapproval, although it can also describe an aesthetic reaction to something grotesque or disturbing. It is more forceful and elevated than ordinary words such as dislike or distaste, and its use may imply that the object of the feeling violates basic moral or sensory standards. Repugnancy can describe a reaction to cruelty, oppression, injustice, sexual violence, bodily decay, or other deeply repellent subjects. It is also sometimes used in discussions of art, literature, and public behaviour. Although “repugnance” is more common, “repugnancy” is a standard form with the same basic meaning and a particularly formal, emphatic tone.
nounIntense disgust or moral offence caused by something regarded as deeply objectionable, repulsive, or unacceptable.
- Intense disgust or moral offence inspired by something considered repulsive or fundamentally objectionable.
"She spoke out against the cruelty with undisguised repugnancy."
"The inhabitants expressed repugnancy at the proposal to reopen the detention centre."
"His painting combines beauty with an almost physical sense of repugnancy."
The plural is grammatically correct but rarely needed in ordinary writing.
"The novel explores several forms of social repugnancies."
Repugnancy is the word for disgust so strong that it resists what it encounters.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does repugnancy come from?
The word belongs to a family derived from Latin repugnare, meaning “to resist” or “to oppose.” Latin repugnantia developed in the related sense of opposition or resistance, while the English form acquired its modern association with disgust and moral offence through the Latin-derived adjective “repugnant.” The closely related “repugnance” and the rarer “re pugnable” belong to the same etymological family.
How repugnancy is actually used
This is a formal and strongly expressive noun. It is especially common in moral, political, aesthetic, and social criticism, where it conveys more than ordinary dislike and often implies a profound sense of outrage.
Easily confused with repugnancy
Repugnance and repugnancy are closely related nouns expressing disgust or moral objection, with repugnance being the more common form.