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.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 off-putting
But Serena’s newfound sympathy for the plight of the Handmaids is nearly as off-putting as her old disdain for them.
—
Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 13 May 2025
There’s an alternate universe where Judy scans to an audience as an off-putting or divisive character, or even just one who takes up time better allocated elsewhere — and yet, nope.
—Brian Grubb, Vulture, 1 May 2025
While some of his classmates found the cultural differences off-putting, Mueller thrived.
—Aditi Shrikant, CNBC, 26 Apr. 2025
The 52-year-old who grew up in privilege in San Diego, played high school golf with Phil Mickelson and graduated from Cal Poly before moving to Modesto to sell fertilizer for a living, addresses a character trait the media often seized upon and jurors found off-putting: aloofness.
—Julia Prodis Sulek, Mercury News, 25 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for off-putting
Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 13 May 2025
There’s an alternate universe where Judy scans to an audience as an off-putting or divisive character, or even just one who takes up time better allocated elsewhere — and yet, nope.
—Brian Grubb, Vulture, 1 May 2025
While some of his classmates found the cultural differences off-putting, Mueller thrived.
—Aditi Shrikant, CNBC, 26 Apr. 2025
The 52-year-old who grew up in privilege in San Diego, played high school golf with Phil Mickelson and graduated from Cal Poly before moving to Modesto to sell fertilizer for a living, addresses a character trait the media often seized upon and jurors found off-putting: aloofness.
—Julia Prodis Sulek, Mercury News, 25 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for off-putting
Recent Examples of Synonyms for off-putting
Adjective
-
Hartley plays Lenny’s girlfriend, June, while Brook plays an obnoxious podcaster named Ratty.—
Tim Lammers,
Forbes.com,
15 June 2025
-
Of course, her obnoxious boyfriend, Harris (Josh Macqueen), whose family owns most of the real estate in town, isn’t exactly pleased with Zac’s presence.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
20 May 2025
Adjective
-
First came the disgusting pictures of waters so fouled that they were often compared to rotting guacamole.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
26 June 2025
-
Republicans seem to try to outdo each other to see who can be the most hateful and disgusting.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
26 June 2025
Adjective
-
Diana, for example, when anything unpleasant was said in her presence, would slowly blink her eyes in an incredible act of denial.—
Rosemary Counter,
Time,
25 June 2025
-
Some of these vitamins have quality issues, like a fishy or unpleasant taste.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
25 June 2025
Adjective
-
The pair hit an ugly double-spinebuster on the Arabic announce table.—
Alfred Konuwa,
Forbes.com,
28 June 2025
-
The wild and ugly scenes saw rioters attack law enforcement with rocks and Molotov cocktails while others burned vehicles and other property.—
Michael Dorgan,
FOXNews.com,
28 June 2025
Adjective
-
What’s more, the Steelers failed to score a first-drive touchdown all season, were awful in the red zone, were awful on first down, and mostly awful in short yardage.—
Tribune Content Agency,
The Orlando Sentinel,
23 June 2025
-
Outcomes for what’s referred to as ‘children in care’ remain unacceptably awful.—
Avivah Wittenberg-Cox,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2025
Adjective
-
The portal that allows the players to go from school to school is also sickening.—
Reader Commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
9 June 2025
-
The Queens Botanical Garden’s annual Pride event will feature DJ music, after-hours access to the garden and sickening drag performances by Nani Tsunami and Janae SaisQuoi.—
Muri Assunção,
New York Daily News,
14 June 2025
Adjective
-
The 6-foot-7 forward will join Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis with the Mavericks, who are looking to turn around the franchise following the shocking midseason trade of Luka Dončić in February.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
27 June 2025
-
The Paris heavyweight routed Atletico Madrid 4-0 in their Club World Cup opening game, suffered a shocking 1-0 upset by Brazilian club Botafogo in their second match, and then beat the Seattle Sounders 2-0 to clinch first place in the group.—
Michelle Kaufman,
Miami Herald,
27 June 2025
Adjective
-
The hideous brutalist Embarcadero fountain had frozen over; couples skated across it like holiday shoppers.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2025
-
But Eleanor has backed herself into an awful corner, and in some ways, so too has Johansson’s film, which is stuck trying to impart sage wisdom through the lens of a truly hideous (if well-meaning) lie.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
20 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Off-putting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/off-putting. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share