nuisance

noun

nui·sance | \ ˈnü-sᵊn(t)s

, ˈnyü-\

Definition of nuisance

1 : harm, injury relieving the nuisance of poisonous fumes from rural factories — Collier's Yr. Bk.

2 : one that is annoying, unpleasant, or obnoxious : pest My allergies are a nuisance in the springtime. Weeds are a nuisance to the gardener.

Synonyms What is an attractive nuisance? More Example Sentences Learn More about nuisance

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What is an attractive nuisance?

Nuisance is a fine example of a word that has taken on a weakened meaning. It has been in use in English since the 15th century, and for much of that time signified "harm" or "injury" rather than mere "annoyance" (the word came into our language from French, but it can be traced back to the Latin nocēre, meaning “to harm”). In the early 19th century nuisance began to see considerable use in reference to people or things that were obnoxious rather than injurious, and that meaning has become the prevalent one. We retain evidence of the word’s earlier "harm" sense, however, in the legal term attractive nuisance, which refers to an enticing thing or condition (such as an unattended ladder leaning against a house) that might attract a child and cause them injury.

Examples of nuisance in a Sentence

the new neighbor is threatening to become a nuisance, dropping in on us several times a day folding up this map correctly is such a nuisance

Recent Examples on the Web

There’s a man with an arm-size glove standing on the roof, and Caruso explains that he was hired to wrangle the hawk to scare away seagulls, a potential beach nuisance. — Candace Jackson, Town & Country, "The Rosewood Miramar Beach Is Montecito's Newest Luxury Hotel—and Private Club For Those Who Want the Real Perks," 27 Apr. 2019 The ban stems in part from complaints calling the tours a nuisance that lead to congestion in the narrow canal-side streets. — Teen Vogue, "Why Sex Work Is Real Work," 26 Apr. 2019 The early architects of Hong Kong’s 2014 pro-democracy protests were found guilty of public-nuisance charges, in one of the final legal cases to emerge from a period of civil disobedience that brought increasing pressure from Beijing. — Natasha Khan, WSJ, "Hong Kong Pro-Democracy Activists Convicted Over Protests," 9 Apr. 2019 Some vendors saw their goods damaged in what has become a regular nuisance in downtown Annapolis. — Talia Richman, baltimoresun.com, "Annapolis Boat Show will 'rise above' after flooding during last year's event," 7 July 2018 Authorities say nuisance animals can be trapped and either released or humanely euthanized. — Christopher Carbone, Fox News, "Florida man, 88, burns raccoon alive over eating mangoes, police say," 19 Aug. 2018 The law was enacted to deter nuisance behaviors that spark calls to police. — Adam Ferrise, cleveland.com, "Man shot inside Cleveland church basketball gym after game-losing turnover, argument," 14 May 2018 People living in the Seattle suburbs are having to deal with a unique nuisance: Residents are reporting that bald eagles have been dropping trash into their yards, and no one is quite sure how to deal with it. — Avery Thompson, Popular Mechanics, "Bald Eagles Are Stealing Trash from a Seattle Landfill and Dropping it in the Suburbs," 4 Apr. 2019 There were nearly 50 billion of these nuisances in 2018, according to YouMail. — Roger Meiners, WSJ, "A Tax on Robocalls Makes Plenty of Cents," 27 Mar. 2019

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

History and Etymology for nuisance

Middle English nusaunce, noisaunce "harm, damage, (in law) cause of annoyance or inconvenience," borrowed from Anglo-French nusance, noisance, from nuis-, nois-, nus-, stem of nuire, nure, noisir, nuser "to injure, damage, vex" (going back to Latin nocēre "to injure, harm") +-ance -ance — more at noxious

Note: The meanings of Anglo-French nuire and nusance have been influenced by partially overlapping forms of noier "to annoy, vex," an aphetic form of anoier, ennoier (see annoy).

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Last Updated

28 May 2019

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The first known use of nuisance was in the 15th century

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More Definitions for nuisance

nuisance

noun

English Language Learners Definition of nuisance

: a person, thing, or situation that is annoying or that causes trouble or problems

See the full definition for nuisance in the English Language Learners Dictionary

nuisance

noun

nui·sance | \ ˈnü-sᵊns

, ˈnyü-\

Kids Definition of nuisance

: an annoying or troublesome person, thing, or situation

nuisance

noun

nui·sance | \ ˈnüs-ᵊns, ˈnyüs-

Legal Definition of nuisance

: something (as an act, object, or practice) that invades or interferes with another's rights or interests (as the use or enjoyment of property) by being offensive, annoying, dangerous, obstructive, or unhealthful

— attractive nuisance

1 : a thing or condition on one's property that poses a risk to children who may be attracted to it without realizing the risk by virtue of their youth

2 : a doctrine or theory employed in most jurisdictions: a possessor of property may be liable for injury caused to a trespassing or invited child by a condition on the property if he or she failed to use ordinary care in preventing such injury (as by fencing in a pool) and had reason to foresee entry by the child and if the utility of the condition was minor compared to the likelihood of injury declined to extend the doctrine of attractive nuisance…to moving trains — Honeycutt v. City of Wichita, 796 P.2d 549 (1990)

Note: The doctrine of attractive nuisance originated in an 1873 U.S. Supreme Court case, Sioux City & Pacific Railroad Co. v. Stout, 84 U.S. 657 (1873), involving a trespassing child injured by a railroad turntable; an early premise was that the attractive nuisance caused the trespass, and so by extension the owner was responsible for the trespass as well. Subsequent modification of the doctrine has focused on the possessor's duty to use care in preventing injury, whether a child is a trespasser or invitee.

— common nuisance

: public nuisance in this entry

— nuisance at law

: nuisance per se in this entry

— nuisance in fact

: an act, occupation, or structure that is considered a nuisance in relation to its circumstances or surroundings a lawful business may be a nuisance in fact in a particular location

— called also nuisance per accidens

— compare nuisance per se in this entry

— nuisance per se

: an act, occupation, or structure that is considered a nuisance regardless of its circumstances or surroundings a house of prostitution is a nuisance per se

— called also nuisance at law

— compare nuisance in fact in this entry

— private nuisance

: something (as an activity) that constitutes an unreasonable interference in the right to the use and enjoyment of one's property and that may be a cause of action in civil litigation

— public nuisance

: something that unreasonably interferes with the health, safety, comfort, morals, or convenience of the community and that is treated as a criminal violation declared that the landfill was a present and prospective public nuisance and ordered…operations to cease — SCA Servs. v. Transportation Ins. Co., 646 N.E.2d 394 (1995)

— called also common nuisance