as in obnoxious
not pleasing or likable; causing you to feel dislike of someone or something
He has an off-putting manner. The restaurant's garish décor was off-putting.
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Recent Examples of off-putting
Networking is the common name for this process, although that term (and the practice) can sometimes feel off-putting to the very people who need to do it.
—
Amy Lindgren, Twin Cities, 8 Nov. 2025
And then there's his relatively youthful age of 34 - which was part of his appeal for young voters, but more off-putting to chief executives who may be decades older.
—NPR, 6 Nov. 2025
Vecna looks to the sky as a particularly off-putting tentacle emerges and attaches to Will’s mouth, pumping an unknown substance into his body.
—Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 6 Nov. 2025
With off-putting brusqueness, the acupuncturist sticks needles into my head and left leg, leaves the room—and appears to forget all about me.
—Lucinda Rosenfeld, New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for off-putting
Amy Lindgren, Twin Cities, 8 Nov. 2025
And then there's his relatively youthful age of 34 - which was part of his appeal for young voters, but more off-putting to chief executives who may be decades older.
—NPR, 6 Nov. 2025
Vecna looks to the sky as a particularly off-putting tentacle emerges and attaches to Will’s mouth, pumping an unknown substance into his body.
—Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 6 Nov. 2025
With off-putting brusqueness, the acupuncturist sticks needles into my head and left leg, leaves the room—and appears to forget all about me.
—Lucinda Rosenfeld, New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for off-putting
Recent Examples of Synonyms for off-putting
Adjective
-
This latest fight starts with a comment Natalie makes at work that is both obnoxious and innocuous.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
21 Jan. 2026
-
On the other hand, what made her an obnoxious little sister served her well in school.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting.—
WCCO Staff,
CBS News,
24 Jan. 2026
-
Regardless, the effects are both disgusting and well-executed.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
21 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Using a speaker outside the stall results in reverb and echoing as the music bounces around the bathroom walls, making the sound muddy and unpleasant.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Given the lack of gravity, even a runny nose can turn into an extremely unpleasant experience, forcing astronauts to resort to unusual measures just to drain mucus from their nasal passages.—
Victor Tangermann,
Futurism,
8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The duo first split in 2024 and confirmed the news in February 2025, before things took a dramatically ugly turn.—
Joseph Wilkinson,
Mercury News,
23 Jan. 2026
-
The Nets had already been through ugly this season.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
22 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Pasquantino later deleted the post, likely because fans noted his expectation about the awful things the Royals could theoretically say about him.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
28 Jan. 2026
-
His administration’s actions in Minneapolis have been awful.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
But Pretti’s last seconds were captured from multiple angles, in sickening footage widely distributed on social media and by news organizations.—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
25 Jan. 2026
-
The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting.—
WCCO Staff,
CBS News,
24 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Doncic had 33 points and 11 assists, and the Lakers erased a 15-point deficit in the final seven minutes of a 116-110 victory over the Mavericks on Saturday night in the star guard’s second visit to Dallas since his shocking trade to the Lakers almost a calendar year ago.—
Oc Register,
Oc Register,
25 Jan. 2026
-
The relentless flow of appalling events eventually overloads the nervous system; the rising tide of brutality, which once seemed shocking, comes to seem unremarkable.—
David Brooks,
Mercury News,
24 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Such jars of moldy fruit were probably fairly hideous to consume.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Jan. 2026
-
The Rodents of Unusual Size that attack Westley in a swamp work because they are played by small men in rodent suits, rather than coolly conjured from pixels; their deliberate artifice is the thrill, and Reiner provided the voice for their hideous snorts.—
Alexandra Schwartz,
New Yorker,
17 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Off-putting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/off-putting. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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