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

Sal getting stuck in an elevator was a mild nuisance. — Daniel Menegaz, EW.com, "The most hilarious moments from Impractical Jokers," 9 Aug. 2019 Neighbors agree the odd paint job is a public nuisance that will bring down property values in the area. — Sophie Lewis, CBS News, "Hot pink emoji house ignites feud among frustrated Los Angeles neighbors," 7 Aug. 2019 Meanwhile, 66 people were arrested for attempting to enter the festival without a ticket, nine were arrested for public intoxication and five were arrested for being a public nuisance. — Katie Bain, Billboard, "Belgian Officials Release Arrest Report For Tomorrowland 2019," 1 Aug. 2019 For Maria Alvarez, however, the noise is a nuisance. — Erin B. Logan, baltimoresun.com, "Residents skeptical of plan to bring Woodstock 50 to Howard County," 26 July 2019 Dangerous Disease-Spreaders While these flying menaces are certainly a nuisance here in the U.S., spoiling many a barbecue and beach day, in several parts of the world mosquitoes can be much more dangerous—and even fatal. — Michele Petry, House Beautiful, "Apparently Scientists Have Found a Way to Eliminate Mosquitoes," 19 July 2019 Sprinkle in some of Spo’s magic CULTURE dust and the Heat are going to be a nuisance for many teams this year. — Rohan Nadkarni, SI.com, "LeBron-AD or Kawhi-PG? Ranking the NBA’s New Superstar Duos," 15 July 2019 Police said that McKinney was arrested June 21 on unrelated warrants for battery and public nuisance after someone called police and said a vehicle matching the description was parked near the Burbank Airport. — Phil Helsel, NBC News, "Woman, 68, charged in Los Angeles area hit-and-run death of Holocaust survivor," 4 July 2019 Tom Casey, Will County Health Department environmental health director, said mosquitoes will be a nuisance this summer because of so much spring rain. — Suzanne Baker, Aurora Beacon-News, "Experts: Time for mosquito overload," 10 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).

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Last Updated

20 Aug 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