The Articulate Professional online!

- Helping executives extend the reach and impact of their communications since 1993

Revulsion

printer friendly format

(pronounced rih-vul-shun)  noun

Definition

1. a drawing (or pulling) back or away from something.  2. a sudden and strong reaction or change of feeling; a violent and abrupt reversal in sentiment, opinion, preference, or attitude.  3. a strong sense of disgust, repugnance, or shock; a feeling of immense dislike, distaste, or loathing.

Main Example

• April was not a good month for American Airlines which cancelled several thousand flights because of a maintenance issue, inconveniencing over a quarter million passengers. "ABC News with Charles Gibson" featured the comments of a very angry American Airlines frequent flier who expressed his revulsion at what he and other passengers had suffered by saying: "I have all my miles with American, but I'm willing to sacrifice all of them to never have to fly with them again."

Workplace Examples

• Many of us managers have developed a revulsion against emails. We each receive over 250 a day, most of them from employees who copy all managers on every email. I see an urgent need to establish some sort of protocol to guide employees on this issue.
• I'll never forget Jonathan's expression when he walked into his office on that first day back from his extended illness. You could see the look of revulsion on his face when confronted with those mile-high stacks of mail, reports, and an email inbox filled with over a thousand unopened emails.

Other Examples

• explaining why he doesn't want to be put in the situation of having to negotiate with a particular firm, a colleague saying: "You must understand my revulsion at sitting down in the same room as those guys. They've gone back on their word not just once or twice, but several times!"
• Princess Diana's death setting off a wave of revulsion against the paparazzi; an authoritative biography of Pius XII--the pope during WWII--revealing that he harbored a sense of revulsion toward Jews
• public outrage at the recently reported case of a 61-year old Australian having had a child with his 39-year old daughter prompting some sociologists to say: "When it comes to such incestuous relationships, a vast majority of us are hard-wired for revulsion that goes far deeper than just social unacceptability."
• the widely broadcast undercover video showing extraordinary animal cruelty at a California slaughterhouse, where sick, crippled cattle were forced to stand by using electric prods, forklifts, and water hoses, filling most Americans with revulsion and loathing

© 2008 V.J. Singal

This Month's Other Words

Products to sharply enhance your vocabulary:

Now available on CD-ROM: Past editions of Words of the Month.
Click here for more information.
The Articulate Professional (1995 revised ed.) is also available.
Place an order or click here for testimonials attesting to its effectiveness as a vocabulary-building tool.
Now get the CD-ROM and the book for only $34. Order now!

*Price includes tax & shipping in US/Canada.

Copyright © 1999 - 2008 by V.J. Singal. Articulate is a registered trademark.
Questions or comments may be sent directly to the author.
Phone: 281-463-2500, P.O. Box 841155, Houston, TX 77284-1155