rebarbative.

Unpleasant or irritating enough to discourage interest, sympathy, or closer involvement.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• rebarbative manner
• rebarbative prose
• rebarbative personality

On the page

His rebarbative manner kept even the most patient colleagues at a distance.

Usage notes

Primary category: literary / elevated prose. Lexical Type: Word. Forms: Comparative more rebarbative; superlative most rebarbative when comparison is meaningful. Commonness: uncommon (editorial estimate; not a corpus frequency statistic). Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1; numbered fields keep each relevant meaning separate. Research distinction: Cambridge labels formal; MW confirms repellent/irritating. Discouraging engagement gives a useful distinction from plain ugly. Writing functions: precise action, characterization.