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 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 The Golden Knights are obnoxious. — Troy Renck, Denver Post, 19 May 2026 But how that staged, arguably obnoxious behavior plays out in a political campaign, run by a man in his 40s, is another matter. — Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times, 18 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
  • Even when Romanzy goes off on how stupid and ugly Caleb is — and gossips that his parents abandoned him because something must be wrong with him — Mary goes along with it.
    — Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 11 July 2026
  • Featuring the good, the bad and the ugly, ‘Look of the Week’ is a regular series dedicated to unpacking the most talked about outfit of the last seven days.
    — Bianca Betancourt, CNN Money, 10 July 2026
Definition of ugly
Adjective
  • Aguirre removed Quiñones in favor or taller options, but Mexico never recovered from the loss of offensive creativity.
    — Eduard Cauich, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026
  • The Mets, being one of the worst offensive teams in baseball, don’t often come back from large deficits.
    — Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 5 July 2026
Definition of offensive
Adjective
  • Where critics see disgusting piles of stuff, hoarders see more.
    — Shivali H. Patra, Mercury News, 8 July 2026
  • Noah Kahan is speaking out about a disgusting habit picked up by some music fans.
    — Taijuan Moorman, USA Today, 29 June 2026
Definition of disgusting
Adjective
  • Critics say such plans are wholly unacceptable because light pollution from so many large, bright satellites would radically degrade views of the night sky.
    — Mary Randolph, Scientific American, 16 July 2026
  • For the union, this is unacceptable and yet another issue their members are facing.
    — Carmela Karcher, CBS News, 14 July 2026
Definition of unacceptable
Adjective
  • One year Pippa Middleton faced the awful shame of having to sit in a normal seat after showing up late.
    — Nick Miller, New York Times, 4 July 2026
  • Sugar is at the forensic lab with the corpse of a man who looks an awful lot like Ji Moon but isn’t Ji Moon (courtesy of Shea Whigham as Tom Flybjerg).
    — Andy Andersen, Vulture, 27 June 2026
Definition of awful
Adjective
  • Anyone concerned about coming down with this very unpleasant sickness should avoid lettuces for the time being, says Rabia de Latour, a gastroenterologist at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine.
    — Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 15 July 2026
  • Like them, his music seesaws between aggressive and playful, between crowd-pleasing and purposefully unpleasant.
    — Jayson Greene, Pitchfork, 14 July 2026
Definition of unpleasant
Adjective
  • The toll was horrible, with some families suffering multiple deaths and injuries.
    — Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 13 July 2026
  • Plus, Palmer is a horrible person — in this case, the victim is much more despicable than the thieves.
    — Oline H. Cogdill, Sun Sentinel, 8 July 2026
Definition of horrible
Adjective
  • Actual theater buildings were built in Hartford and elsewhere in the 1790s but couldn’t overcome the formidable opposition of those who still considered theater to be a highly objectionable artform.
    — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 28 June 2026
  • The list, however, does not provide images of the content that NPS found objectionable.
    — Deena Zaru, ABC News, 18 June 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 17 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on obnoxious

Nglish: Translation of obnoxious for Spanish Speakers

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