obnoxious

adjective

ob·​nox·​ious äb-ˈnäk-shəs How to pronounce obnoxious (audio)
əb-
1
: odiously or disgustingly objectionable : highly offensive
2
archaic : exposed to something unpleasant or harmful
used with to
3
archaic : deserving of censure
obnoxiously adverb
obnoxiousness noun

Examples of obnoxious in a Sentence

Let's get right into it. The title of your book, Why We Suck, is pretty obnoxious. Are we really that bad? Rachel Deahl, Boston Globe, 30 Nov. 2008
"Not to sound obnoxious, but this downturn could be good for us," says Max Levchin, founder and CEO of Slide, in San Francisco. "Some of our competitors are going to go out of business." Daniel Lyons, Newsweek, 20 Oct. 2008
Now that many large cities are surrounded by Stygian fields of concrete tedium, urban sprawl looks like an obnoxious side effect of prosperity and decline. Graham Robb, The Discovery of France, 2007
The teller's eyes widened as a customer poured thousands of pennies onto the counter, an intentionally obnoxious way to pay a high heating bill. Erik Eckholm, New York Times, 26 June 2006
He said some really obnoxious things about his ex-girlfriend at the party. Some teenagers were being loud and obnoxious.
Recent Examples on the Web The former president is ignorant, obnoxious, xenophobic, and racist, racist, racist. Mark Judge, Washington Examiner, 9 Jan. 2024 Some of them watched the video that featured the obnoxious, drunken man, who was supposed to induce anger and annoyance. Ingrid Wickelgren, Scientific American, 21 Feb. 2024 What’s more obnoxious than someone who wants a plaque for being a good Samaritan? Whitney Friedlander, Los Angeles Times, 18 Jan. 2024 Fairly or not, NOFX and its Warped Tour compatriots are easily written off as empty-headed, obnoxious, adolescent bros. Fat Mike’s capitalist streak rubs many purists the wrong way. Brett Martin, New York Times, 28 Nov. 2023 Ken Jeong’s waking up from cryogenic freeze was basically another exercise in loud and obnoxious, with too-fleeting moments of clever. Brian Lowry, CNN, 11 Feb. 2024 Keith further solidified his reputation — an outspoken patriot to some, an obnoxious blowhard to others — by way of a public dispute with Natalie Maines of the then- Dixie Chicks. Nadine Smith, Rolling Stone, 6 Feb. 2024 Sight-casting toward fish using loud, obnoxious top-water offerings can often elicit an explosive strike. Jordan Rodriguez, Idaho Statesman, 31 Jan. 2024 His neighbors are obnoxious; not renting is more efficient; good land is cheap. Nick Romeo, The New Yorker, 16 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'obnoxious.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Latin obnoxius "under obligation, subservient, liable, exposed to, vulnerable" (of uncertain origin) + -ous

Note: Latin obnoxius has traditionally been taken to be a parasynthetic derivative from the phrase ob noxiam "due to wrongdoing, on account of bad behavior" (see noxious), but this explanation does not account for the primary senses of the word. Ernout and Meillet (Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue latine) take -noxius as a desiderative derivative from the base of nancīscī "to acquire" (see enough entry 1), parallel to anxius "worried"/angere "to strangle, distress" (see anxious), alsius "liable to injury from cold"/algēre "to be cold." The English sense "objectionable" is probably due to influence of noxious and its etymon, Latin noxius.

First Known Use

1597, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of obnoxious was in 1597

Dictionary Entries Near obnoxious

Cite this Entry

“Obnoxious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/obnoxious. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

obnoxious

adjective
ob·​nox·​ious äb-ˈnäk-shəs How to pronounce obnoxious (audio)
əb-
: very disagreeable or offensive
obnoxiously adverb
obnoxiousness noun

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