Words

[Carol]

Catlady wrote:
>
> Hey, does anyone know when the word 'repel' should be used and when
> the word 'repulsed'? 'He was repelled by her suggestion' or 'He was
> repulsed by her suggestion'?
>
Carol responds:

Speaking as a copyeditor, I would suggest "repel" when you mean "to
drive away" or "drive back" (whether you're talking about a person's
cold behavior repelling friendly advances or a magnetic charge
repelling a similar charge) and "repulse" when you mean "to cause
aversion or repugnance" (for example, Harry's own action of
forcefeeding poison to DD repulses, not repels, him; Snape's
countercurses repel, not repulse, Harry's curses).

I guess the choice of "repelled" or "repulsed" in your example depends
on what her suggestion was and whether it made him feel cold toward
her or actually disgusted him.

However, I think of "repel" as active (repelling an insect--insect
repellant--and "repulse"--or rather, "to be repulsed"--as passive and
involving a reaction (whether physical or emotional). So you might
say, "her suggestion repelled him" but "he was repulsed by her
suggestion," depending on whether her words or his reaction is more
important.

Carol, who can't offer more specific advice without knowing the actual
suggestion and how it affected the hearer