off-putting

adjective

Definition of off-puttingnext
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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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 off-putting The strong aroma of marigold foliage is off-putting to deer, especially the signet types. — Rita Pelczar, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 May 2026 Other downsides can include mild bloating, an upset stomach, or an off-putting taste. — Audrey Noble, Vogue, 22 May 2026 But Bill Winters, the CEO of the British multinational bank Standard Chartered, said something so viscerally off-putting that he’s now gone into full damage control mode to get the heat off his back. — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 21 May 2026 The details from the trial were still very off-putting, and acquittal is not the same as innocence. — Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 16 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for off-putting
Recent Examples of Synonyms for off-putting
  1. obnoxious
  2. disgusting
  3. unpleasant
  4. ugly
  5. awful
  6. sickening
  7. shocking
  8. hideous
Adjective
  • And, for all the theater of the hearing and Wyper’s expressions of sympathy with aldermen, the Stonepeak executive didn’t offer any meaningful concessions to make this obnoxious meter deal more palatable for Chicagoans.
    — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 26 June 2026
  • 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
Definition of obnoxious
Adjective
  • Deer-Proof Your Garden To keep your flowers from being gobbled up by deer—one of the most heartbreaking of all garden misfortunes—choose flowers that people find glorious and deer find disgusting.
    — Mary Alice Russell, Southern Living, 13 July 2026
  • Where critics see disgusting piles of stuff, hoarders see more.
    — Shivali H. Patra, Mercury News, 8 July 2026
Definition of disgusting
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 deals defined one of the ugliest chapters of Russia’s transition to capitalism in the 1990s.
    — Simon Shuster, The Atlantic, 17 July 2026
  • Leaders must be grounded in self-awareness and their influence, leaning into emotional intelligence and humility; recognizing that different styles shape how people show up amid many influences, good, bad and ugly.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
Definition of ugly
Adjective
  • Torres – one of Barcelona’s key men up front – had been having an awful tournament, missing a plethora of chances throughout Spain’s campaign and being benched after starting against Cape Verde.
    — Patrick Sung Cuadrado, CNN Money, 20 July 2026
  • In a clearing in the forest, his younger selves sit at a long table with the abbott, who is wearing the final boss of season three’s awful wigs.
    — Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 20 July 2026
Definition of awful
Adjective
  • The 2022 spill was the largest ever from the Keystone pipeline, killing or sickening 2,700 animals.
    — Ella Nilsen, CNN Money, 10 July 2026
  • But there are multiple Ebola strains, and those vaccines, treatments, and tests aren’t effective against the rarer strain, Bundibugyo, sickening people today.
    — Alice Park, Time, 2 July 2026
Definition of sickening
Adjective
  • Yet somehow, two decades later, the viciously antisemitic Vichy regime planted itself in power; a shocking betrayal by France of some of its most loyal and generous supporters, in a dehumanizing toxic swamp of suspicion, judgment, envy.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 July 2026
  • As shocking as the scandal surrounding Terrion Arnold is, the 2024 first-round pick had not played that well, and the Lions could be better without him.
    — Vic Tafur, New York Times, 17 July 2026
Definition of shocking
Adjective
  • The ace endured a rocky start punctuated by a hideous 11-run blowup in Minnesota and has now been sidelined with a shoulder injury since April 26.
    — Mac Cerullo, Hartford Courant, 28 June 2026
  • Everyone's favorite hideous ogre and delusional donkey are finally reunited.
    — Derek Lawrence, Entertainment Weekly, 16 June 2026
Definition of hideous

Browse Nearby Words

off one's rocker
off-putting
offs
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Cite this Entry

“Off-putting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/off-putting. Accessed 20 Jul. 2026.

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