obnoxious

adjective

äb-ˈnäk-shəs How to pronounce obnoxious (audio)
Definition of obnoxiousnext
1
as in ugly
causing intense displeasure, disgust, or resentment the obnoxious disc jockey caused many listeners to call the station with complaints

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in offensive
provoking or likely to provoke protest an obnoxious comment for which there should be an immediate apology

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of obnoxious The song’s spacious production lets its piercing saxophone riffs dissipate into silence, only for borderline obnoxious horns to swirl them back into rhythm. — Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 25 June 2026 Citadel was successful but borderline obnoxious. — Gary Sernovitz, New Yorker, 15 June 2026 Later, as Piven was becoming a leading man in his own right thanks to his role as obnoxious agent Ari Gold on HBO's Entourage, the two seemed to drift apart. — Britt Hayes, Entertainment Weekly, 11 June 2026 The White Lotus' Jennifer Coolidge plays Monica Geller (Courteney Cox) and Phoebe's obnoxious old roommate, Amanda Buffamonteezi, on a season 10 episode of Friends in 2003. — Zoey Lyttle, PEOPLE, 25 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for obnoxious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obnoxious
  1. ugly
  2. offensive
  3. disgusting
  4. unacceptable
  5. awful
  6. unpleasant
  7. horrible
  8. objectionable
Adjective
  • Punk tried an ugly moonsault and missed, leading to a Cody kickout at two.
    — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026
  • Further, the most recent version of a Flyers black sweater was just plain ugly.
    — The Athletic NHL Staff, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of ugly
Adjective
  • Sabally departed for New York after the 2025 season, and the Mercury have struggled to replace her offensive production, ranking 12th in the league in offensive rating this year.
    — Sabreena Merchant, New York Times, 2 Aug. 2026
  • The poor offensive production spoiled a night when the Angels got good enough pitching, despite scratching Soriano.
    — Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of offensive
Adjective
  • The left's most hated author — JK Rowling — has dropped the hammer on the disgusting things that took place at the Indiana Fever-Seattle Storm game earlier this week.
    — Zach Dean OutKick, FOXNews.com, 30 July 2026
  • Or when some man behaving like a degenerate gambler plods into Chelsea Gray’s DMs with a disgusting slur.
    — Candace Buckner, New York Times, 27 July 2026
Definition of disgusting
Adjective
  • The plan is to then gradually introduce louder sounds, Coen added, to discover the level at which a sonic boom noise goes from being acceptable to unacceptable.
    — Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Given the national security stakes, the prospect of foreign governments being able to suspend access to critical models at a whim started to feel like an unacceptable risk.
    — Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of unacceptable
Adjective
  • So kudos to the extras who steal scenes from them in the background, flailing like avant-garde dancers when a vicious mental parasite leaps from grandmothers to joggers to security guards on a quest to find something awful.
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 30 July 2026
  • The experts and the betting odds expect futility on the field, something close to awful.
    — Greg Cote July 27, Miami Herald, 27 July 2026
Definition of awful
Adjective
  • This was because Lawrence made a point to make the experience as unpleasant as possible for her costar.
    — Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Aug. 2026
  • The reduction in intake was not caused by making the food unpleasant.
    — Ryan Brennan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 31 July 2026
Definition of unpleasant
Adjective
  • But the Chinese way will cause a proliferation of talent, usage, data—until something horrible happens.
    — Evan Osnos, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026
  • The Badgers have had horrible injury luck, which has led to bad QB play the past few years.
    — Antonio Morales, New York Times, 27 July 2026
Definition of horrible
Adjective
  • Almost two decades ago in Germany, a particularly wily octopus named Otto short-circuited his aquarium’s electrical system by shooting jets of water at an overhead light that perhaps caused an objectionable glare.
    — Cody Cottier, Scientific American, 29 July 2026
  • Bees love to visit the blooms but many gardeners find the stalks of flowers objectionable.
    — Tom MacCubbin, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 July 2026
Definition of objectionable

Browse Nearby Words

obloquy
obnoxious
obnoxiously
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Cite this Entry

“Obnoxious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obnoxious. Accessed 7 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on obnoxious

Nglish: Translation of obnoxious for Spanish Speakers

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