Definition of OBTRUSIVE

Choose the Right Synonym for obtrusive

impertinent, officious, meddlesome, intrusive, obtrusive mean given to thrusting oneself into the affairs of others. impertinent implies exceeding the bounds of propriety in showing interest or curiosity or in offering advice. resented their impertinent interference officious implies the offering of services or attentions that are unwelcome or annoying. officious friends made the job harder meddlesome stresses an annoying and usually prying interference in others' affairs. a meddlesome landlord intrusive implies a tactless or otherwise objectionable thrusting into others' affairs. tried to be helpful without being intrusive obtrusive stresses improper or offensive conspicuousness of interfering actions. expressed an obtrusive concern for his safety

Examples of obtrusive in a Sentence

The waiter was attentive without being obtrusive. We used less obtrusive colors in the bedrooms.

Recent Examples on the Web Research shows that language is the first and most obtrusive impediment to finding work. — Katie Nielson, Quartz, "The US has a skills gap problem—and it’s ignoring its most obvious solution," 10 Jan. 2020 But Hide’s Smart Socket is one of the most seamless, least obtrusive ways to do so. — Popular Mechanics Editors, Popular Mechanics, "CES Editors’ Choice Awards: The Most Exciting Tech for 2020," 9 Jan. 2020 The main reason for that is size: at seven ounces and 106×52.3×25.5mm, the PowerCore is particularly small and light enough to fit into many pants pockets, let alone a handbag or suitcase, without being too obtrusive. — Valentina Palladino And Jeff Dunn, Ars Technica, "Guidemaster: The most useful gadgets to have in your bag while traveling," 20 Nov. 2019 Wind turbines can be obtrusive and impact natural life in the surrounding area. — Ahiza Garcia, CNN, "This kite could harness more of the world's wind energy," 1 Oct. 2019 Luckily, companies like Tesla, are designing solar shingles that are nearly indistinguishable from normal shingles, embedding solar in a less obtrusive way. — Joseph Truini, Popular Mechanics, "Is Going Solar Right for You?," 27 July 2019 The congestion problems plaguing so many cities may be alleviated, and public transit, less obtrusive to pedestrians and environmentally preferable to cars, could finally have its day in the sun. — James P. Sutton, National Review, "Are the Uber and Lyft Bubbles about to Burst?," 12 July 2019 That may tick off some right-handed gamers who don’t like power cords on the same side as their mousing hand, but MSI does at least provide a right-angle plug to make routing less obtrusive. — Gordon Mah Ung, PCWorld, "MSI GS65 Stealth Thin Review: This thin gaming laptop features 9th-gen Core and GTX 1660 Ti," 6 June 2019 But buying a tethered headset (e.g. Oculus Rift or HTC Vive) means being permanently tied to a bulky computer tower via an obtrusive cable. — Kyle Orland, Ars Technica, "Vive’s wireless adapter gives the best VR experience lots of money can buy," 26 Sep. 2018

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

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Last Updated

21 Jan 2020

Cite this Entry

“Obtrusive.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/obtrusive. Accessed 26 January 2020.