nuisance

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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.

See nuisance defined for English-language learners

See nuisance defined for kids

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 of nuisance from the Web

Charged with possession of methamphetamine, possession of paraphernalia, and maintaining a common nuisance.

— justin sayers, The Courier-Journal, "'We're going to attack it': 20 charged in 'Operation Total Eclipse' as police target drug dealers," 25 Aug. 2017
Avoid living directly below a common area such as a rooftop deck or directly above a high-traffic noise nuisance such as a garage gate.

— erik j. martin and james alexander, courant.com, "Consider these points before purchasing a townhome, condo, or multifamily home," 18 Aug. 2017
The suit says the companies illegally created a public nuisance and violated the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, known as RICO and more commonly used against organized crime.

— anne saker, Cincinnati.com, "Suit: Nearly 300M doses of opioids flooded Greater Cincinnati over five years," 15 Aug. 2017
According to the report, neighbors are weighing a class-action public nuisance lawsuit.

— laura bradley, vanityfair.com, "Why Disney Just Severed Ties with a Famously Obnoxious YouTuber," 25 July 2017
Mr. Daka and others on the street could be moved by city officials as a nuisance, though the city now gives some notice.

— nikita stewart, New York Times, "City Expands Services as More Become Homeless, Even With a Job," 19 July 2017
The legal strategy is pinned on describing these companies as having caused a public nuisance, similar to tactics used against the tobacco industry.

— joshua emerson smith, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Imperial Beach, two counties sue fossil fuel companies for money to deal with sea level rise," 17 July 2017
Franco's was cited for failure to maintain a fine reputation, public nuisance and determination of qualifications, according to the ATC.

— becky jacobs, Post-Tribune, "Highland bar reaches final permit appeal after fatal 2015 stabbing," 13 July 2017
But Muller said there is a formal process for nuisance complaints; they are sent to the HOA and Muller mails out a notice if warranted.

— john tuohy, Indianapolis Star, "Fishers man takes to Twitter after racially charged letter is left in his family's mailbox," 6 July 2017

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.

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.

Origin and Etymology of nuisance

Middle English nusaunce, noisaunce, from Anglo-French, from nuisir, nuire to harm, from Latin nocēre — more at noxious

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

See Words from the same year

nuisance Synonyms

Synonyms

annoyance, annoyer, bother, gadfly, gnawer, nudnik (also nudnick), pain, persecutor, pest, tease, teaser, pain in the neck

Related Words

headache; harrier, heckler, interrupter (also interruptor); hassle, plague; harasser, molester, tormentor (also tormenter), torturer

Near Antonyms

charmer, smoothy (or smoothie); comforter, solacer, soother

NUISANCE Defined for English Language Learners

nuisance

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noun

Definition of nuisance for English Language Learners

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

NUISANCE Defined for Kids

nuisance

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noun nui·sance \ ˈnü-sᵊns , ˈnyü- \

Definition of nuisance for Students

:an annoying or troublesome person, thing, or situation

Law Dictionary

nuisance

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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