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

Keep scrolling for more

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

Walmart sued the union on grounds of trespass and public and private nuisance. — Donna Engle, baltimoresun.com/maryland/carroll, "Legal Matters: Is it legal to picket on a private street or a parking lot?," 6 Sep. 2019 Lawyers for the company said the judgment was a misapplication of public nuisance law. — Washington Post, "Oklahoma judge rules against drugmaker, orders $572M payment," 28 Aug. 2019 The Oklahoma ruling marked the first affirmation in court of a high-risk legal strategy using public-nuisance laws to pursue the opioid cases. — Riley Griffin, BostonGlobe.com, "Purdue Pharma in settlement talks over thousands of opioid cases," 27 Aug. 2019 But Jennifer Braceras, director of the Independent Women’s Forum Center for Law & Liberty, said the Oklahoma verdict distorts public nuisance law beyond recognition. — Fox News, "Oklahoma Johnson & Johnson verdict figures to impact other opioid lawsuits," 27 Aug. 2019 Lawyers for the company said the judgment was a misapplication of public nuisance law. — Sean Murphy, chicagotribune.com, "Johnson & Johnson ordered to pay $572 million after Oklahoma judge finds the drugmaker helped fuel the state’s opioid crisis," 26 Aug. 2019 Eric has the details on why Bedford has stopped enforcing a nuisance law that critics say is unfair and is used to target African Americans. — cleveland.com, "Lawmakers pass sleazy aid for the rich while Trump targets the poor, Heartless felons run drugs in jail, Biden trounces Trump in Ohio, and Cleveland filmmakers are most successful on earth – This Week in the CLE," 25 July 2019 The Tempe City Council is considering loosening the requirements to cite someone for excessive dog barking under the city's nuisance laws. — Paulina Pineda, azcentral, "Barking dogs keeping you up at night? Tempe could make it easier to cite dog owners," 13 July 2019 But each state has its own iteration of public nuisance law. — Ellen Florian, Fortune, "J&J Called a 'Kingpin' in Opioid Case That Could Be a Test for 1,600 More Lawsuits," 7 June 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).

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about nuisance

Dictionary Entries near nuisance

Statistics for nuisance

Last Updated

17 Sep 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for nuisance

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

See more words from the same century

Keep scrolling for more

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