Meaning & use
repellant
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Meanings
nouncountable or uncountable
A substance or product used to keep insects or other pests away from your skin, clothes, or plants.
Grammar: Can be countable (a mosquito repellant) or uncountable (spray on more repellant); the usual spelling is repellent.
Patterns
- insect/mosquito repellant
- apply/use repellant
- repellant against something
Pack some insect repellant — the mosquitoes near the lake are terrible.
This natural repellant uses lemon and eucalyptus oils.
The label says the repellant protects for up to six hours.
adjectivenot comparable
Making someone feel strong dislike; very unpleasant or offensive.
Grammar: Used after a linking verb or before a noun: the idea is repellant to many people; a repellant smell.
Patterns
- repellant to someone
- a repellant idea
- find something repellant
The idea of profiting from other people's suffering was repellant to her.
A repellant odor drifted from the drain.
His smug attitude was repellant to everyone at the table.
adjectivebefore a nountechnical
Able to push something away, especially water, insects, or dirt.
Grammar: Often used in compounds like water-repellant and stain-repellant; the usual spelling is repellent.
Patterns
- water-repellant
- stain-repellant
- repellant coating
The jacket has a water-repellant coating for light rain.
Choose a stain-repellant fabric for the sofa.
The new paint is repellant to insects.
Word forms
| plural | repellants |
|---|
Common combinations
- insect repellant
- We bought insect repellant before the camping trip.
- apply repellant
- Apply the repellant to exposed skin, not your face.
- water-repellant
- These boots are water-repellant but not fully waterproof.
- repellant to someone
- The cruelty of the plan was repellant to most voters.
Synonyms and how they differ
- repellent
- The standard spelling of the same word; use repellent in formal writing and repellant mainly for the insect product.
- off-putting
- Describes something that makes you lose interest or feel uneasy, but it is milder and less physically disgusting than repellant.
- repulsive
- Stronger and more emotional than repellant; it suggests real disgust, especially toward a person or sight.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: repellant or repellent?
repellant vs repellent
This is the same word with the preferred spelling. Use repellent in essays and exams; repellant appears mainly on product labels.
Practice
Which sentence uses the most standard spelling for formal writing?
Choose one answer.
Repellant is the common variant used for insect products, so it fits here, though many style guides still prefer repellent. The adjective senses in the other options are almost always spelled repellent in formal writing.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “repellant”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.