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rebarbative

rebarbative

9.9
Causing people to feel unpleasant and want to stay away
  • adjective
  • /ˌriːˈbɑːrbətɪv/
  • Formal
translation icon : repulsivo
  • Her rebarbative attitude made it difficult for her to make friends.

Examples

  • Most people found the article's rebarbative tone off-putting and uninviting.

  • A situation of that sort is not a moral conflict; the only relevant moral duty is a duty to abstain from the rebarbative policy.

    Academic text (2018)
  • I mean no aspersion: the lines have their perfect beauty in other registers, and Whitman is, of course, no rebarbative writer, as Thoreau, at times, can be.

    Blog text (6)
  • I wanted to put together the rebarbative geography and the emollient verse, so I went down from Athens to spend a week in Keats's "dales of Arcady."

    Academic text (1998)
  • Furthermore, the notion of dirty hands is not applicable to a situation in which the rebarbative aspects and the ostensibly benign aspects of some policy are constitutively indissociable.

    Academic text (2018)
  • A second reason put forward for the marginalization of CARL is the rebarbative presentation of its research; this is a particular concern of Potter's ("Literary Criticism" 91, 94, 97), but others have echoed her.

    Academic text (1995)
  • It is thus one of the few literary journals that has effectively resisted the rebarbative jargon and conceptual fatuities of poststructuralism but has also remained alive to new currents of thought and information flowing in from empirically responsible sources.

    Academic text (2002)
  • The rebarbative comments he made during the meeting turned everyone against him.

Synonyms

hideous
vsrebarbative
171 5.1

Very ugly and likely to make people feel shocked or disgusted

is broader, referring to general unpleasantness rather than extreme horror
repulsive
vsrebarbative
59 5.5

Causing strong dislike or disgust, like a very bad smell

is less extreme, more about creating general unpleasant feelings
unwelcome
vsrebarbative
45 4.3

Not wanted and causing upset or trouble

is about general unpleasantness rather than only causing immediate displeasure
unattractive
vsrebarbative
37 1.8

Not pleasant to look at or to the senses

is stronger, adding an objectionable quality that pushes people away
undesirable
vsrebarbative
31 4.6

Not wanted because it is unpleasant, harmful, or causes problems

is more about creating dislike or unease than about desirability
distasteful
vsrebarbative
30 4.6

Something that makes people feel dislike or disgust

is less forceful, referring to a broader tendency to push people away
insufferable
vsrebarbative
26 7.5

So unpleasant you cannot stand it

is milder, meaning it mainly causes avoidance rather than total intolerance
loathsome
vsrebarbative
20 7.7

Causing strong disgust or hatred in people

is about being objectionable or unattractive rather than causing hatred
unsightly
vsrebarbative
15 4.5

Unpleasant to look at

is broader, covering general objection beyond mere visual dislike
unappealing
vsrebarbative
15 4.1

Not attractive, pleasant, or interesting

is stronger, suggesting active pushing away rather than simple lack of appeal
offensive
vsrebarbative
15 5.3

Having a bad smell or taste that bothers you

is more general, covering any trait that simply puts people off
detestable
vsrebarbative
9 6.5

Very unpleasant and causing people to feel strong dislike or hate

is less forceful, focusing on causing discomfort rather than hate
disagreeable
vsrebarbative
8 5.0

Unfriendly in manner so people feel uncomfortable

is about general objection, not only awkward social manners
revolting
vsrebarbative
6 4.9

Very unpleasant and likely to make you feel disgusted

is weaker, meaning it simply makes people feel put off
repellent
vsrebarbative
5 6.1

Causing strong dislike or disgust

is milder, mainly pushing people away rather than causing shock
gross
vsrebarbative
  • Offensive
3 4.1

Appearing very fat in an unattractive way

is not limited to body shape, meaning general objectionability or unpleasantness
aversive
vsrebarbative
1 8.4

Making people or animals avoid something because it is unpleasant

is similar but focuses on being objectionable rather than causing direct avoidance
repellant
vsrebarbative
1 6.4

Causing strong dislike or disgust

is weaker, describing a general unpleasant tendency without strong revulsion
repelling
vsrebarbative
6.9

Making people feel strong dislike or disgust

is milder, describing a general tendency to be unpleasant
disgustful
vsrebarbative
6.7

Causing a strong feeling of dislike or making people feel sick

is softer, causing broad dislike rather than violent reaction
unsufferable
vsrebarbative
8.4

So bad or strong that you cannot stand it

is less intense, referring to general objection rather than outright intolerance

Antonyms

680 1.0

Pleasing to look at or enjoy and making people interested

314 1.0

Giving a gentle feeling of enjoyment

How Unpleasant

repulsive
59 5.5
rebarbative
  • Formal
9.9
off-putting
20 6.1
unappealing
15 4.1
unattractive
37 1.8

Surface Forms

rebarbative positive

Etymology

Rebarbative is easy to remember if you think of re- 'back' and barb 'sharp point', like something that pushes you back with little barbs. So, rebarbative describes a person or thing that is unpleasant and likely to repel others.