Definition of INCONVENIENCES

Examples of inconvenience in a Sentence

Noun

Needham was sorry to see him go, for although his high-handedness … had caused some inconvenience, his intelligence and courage were of the first water. — Simon Winchester, The Man Who Loved China, 2008 Any wish or even longing I might have to see her produced no results; sometimes when she showed up it was actually inconvenient, but frustrated longing and inconvenience both ended the same way … — Jane Smiley, Good Faith, 2003 Jem knew as well as I that it was difficult to walk fast without stumping a toe, tripping on stones, and other inconveniences, and I was barefooted. — Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird, 1960 I hope this delay doesn't cause you any inconvenience. Bridge repairs cannot be done without some inconvenience to the public. Parking in the city can be a major inconvenience. The delay was an inconvenience.

Verb

… I could count on one of my aunts to insist that she take me to some far-off corner of Nairobi to find the best bargains, no matter how long the trip took or how much it might inconvenience her. — Barack Obama, Dreams from My Father, (1995) 2004 Medieval manuscripts are turgid with abbreviations, which favor the copyist although they inconvenience the reader. — Walter J. Ong, Orality and Literacy, (1982) 2002 The work was inconvenienced by the time of year, there being only about three hours of natural light per day, but the pyroclastic spectacle made the darkness photogenic. — John McPhee, New Yorker, 22 Feb. 1988 I wouldn't want to inconvenience you. We were inconvenienced by the bad weather.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

For jobs that necessitate women to be on their feet all day, like Ishikawa’s job at the funeral parlor, the shoes are a significant inconvenience. — Vivian Rachelle, Quartz, "Japan’s #KuToo movement is fighting back against regressive dress codes for women," 29 Aug. 2019 Toxic algae is no longer a minor inconvenience, disrupting diners’ seafood menus for a few months. — Emily Atkin, The New Republic, "The Frightening Spread of Toxic Algae," 28 Aug. 2019 My biggest issue is the inconvenience decaf causes. — Jim Gaffigan, CBS News, "Jim Gaffigan: Decaf coffee is un-American," 11 Aug. 2019 The young director initially didn’t want to buy the benches and get stuck with the inconvenience of owning them after the show. — al, "‘Choir Boy’ is Carlton Bell’s black, queer, and unapologetic tribute to Birmingham," 23 Aug. 2019 Wildfire experts say the high death toll in the Camp Fire might also make the public more willing to accept the inconvenience of a power shutdown as a trade-off for safety. — Dianna M. Náñez, azcentral, "Some saw deadly Camp Fire as the 'new normal.' Experts say we already know how to prevent a repeat," 22 July 2019 The inconveniences of her ramshackle house that seem tolerable in the daytime become menacing threats when darkness falls. — Ryan Martin, Indianapolis Star, "'They’re just patching it up': Tenants lack electricity, water in homes Joe Hogsett calls 'transformed'," 1 July 2019 However, these rules are more than just an inconvenience–especially for girls of color, gender-non-conforming and LGBT youth. — Essence, "Why School Dress Codes Need A Makeover," 17 June 2019 Park officials know this is an inconvenience for visitors, but due to the park’s elevation and climate, resurfacing projects can only take place in the summer. — John Meyer, The Know, "Traffic at Rocky Mountain National Park is about to get even worse," 25 July 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

To some, being inconvenienced by even a single blackout warrants getting a generator. — David Agrell, Popular Mechanics, "Should You Buy a Standby Generator?," 25 Aug. 2019 Still, the staff at the board didn’t want to inconvenience Schmidt by making him wait for his department support team to arrive on commercial flights. — James Bandler, ProPublica, "How Amazon and Silicon Valley Seduced the Pentagon," 22 Aug. 2019 But while many Hong Kongers have been inconvenienced by transport shutdowns and other travel disruptions, there is little sense of danger in the rest of the city. — Tara John, CNN, "Why Hong Kong is protesting," 13 Aug. 2019 Prisoners in the middle of trials or those scheduled for sentencing were still transported, so not to inconvenience victims and their families. — Slade Rand, courant.com, "Stifling weather began Friday as state, local leaders geared up for even hotter Saturday temperatures," 19 July 2019 The parties could seek outside help in resolving their issues, head to court or, in the worst-case scenario, terminate the contract — leaving up in the air the future of renovation work that has been inconveniencing passengers for months. — Jon Murray, The Denver Post, "Denver airport and Great Hall contractor escalate public battle as mediation stalls," 9 Aug. 2019 This would reduce the need for evacuating and inconveniencing locals, as well as minimize launch costs. — Eric Berger, Ars Technica, "Rocket Report: China discovers grid fins, NASA acknowledges Starship program," 2 Aug. 2019 USA TODAY Chase Bank experienced a network glitch nationwide that inconvenienced some customers throughout much of the day, a spokesman said Wednesday. — Charisse Jones, USA TODAY, "Chase Bank's network has a nationwide glitch, though ATMs and app keep going," 1 Aug. 2019 Beyoncé got exclusive access to the falls Wednesday's video shoot likely inconvenienced hikers, as Beyoncé and her crew were allowed exclusive access to the falls and its turquoise pools. — Scott Craven, azcentral, "Beyoncé was at Havasupai Falls at the Grand Canyon, and people are angry about it," 11 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'inconvenience.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.