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
Makio’s relationship with Shingo is rich and complicated, revealing new vulnerabilities in a character whose initially somewhat off-putting in her coldness.
—
Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 20 Feb. 2026
Sinks can get pretty nasty and develop an extremely off-putting smell.
—Quincy Bulin, Southern Living, 10 Feb. 2026
Seen in this light, Chutzpah isn’t meant to be some off-putting personality quirk.
—Michael Ashley, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Squint, and the actor’s most off-putting moves could be attributed to his commitment to the grind, which could then encourage audiences to go see the results in action.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 22 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for off-putting
Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 20 Feb. 2026
Sinks can get pretty nasty and develop an extremely off-putting smell.
—Quincy Bulin, Southern Living, 10 Feb. 2026
Seen in this light, Chutzpah isn’t meant to be some off-putting personality quirk.
—Michael Ashley, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Squint, and the actor’s most off-putting moves could be attributed to his commitment to the grind, which could then encourage audiences to go see the results in action.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 22 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for off-putting
Recent Examples of Synonyms for off-putting
Adjective
-
Whether the obnoxious popup will end up being a wise move for the company is anything but clear.—
Victor Tangermann,
Futurism,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Good firm with good people to work with, meaningful and intellectually stimulating work, satisfied and not-overly-obnoxious clients.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
This administration has unleashed a disgusting anti-immigrant agenda.—
Lucas Robinson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 May 2026
-
Let women be monstrous, disgusting, angry, feral creatures!—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 May 2026
Adjective
-
Place a bowl of coffee grounds in the offending area (or, in the case of your shoes, place dry grounds in an old sock or cloth tied up and leave overnight inside the shoe) and let the grounds absorb unpleasant odors, says Rocky Vuong, founder of Calibre Cleaning Unlimited.—
Alexandra Kelly,
Martha Stewart,
9 May 2026
-
Years later, the teenaged Daughter lets in a woman from the outside, which causes chaos in their relationship and reveals some unpleasant secrets.—
K. Thor Jensen,
PC Magazine,
8 May 2026
Adjective
-
The scene Tuesday was beyond ugly.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
8 May 2026
-
Culturally, the word is synonymous with ugly, not just for the ways lesbians defy traditional gender roles in the popular imagination but for their disinclination toward and unavailability to men.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 May 2026
Adjective
-
And there was going to be an awful lot of emotional resonance and relatability with today’s generation of young women with Mary Bennet, more so than there would be [with Elizabeth Bennet.—
K.J. Yossman,
Variety,
7 May 2026
-
The mother-haver at Forster’s school could never trust in the safety of his awful secret.—
Jessica Winter,
New Yorker,
7 May 2026
Adjective
-
But a radioactive cloud was wafting across Europe, setting off alarms in a Swedish laboratory nearly seven hundred miles away and slowly sickening tens of thousands of people.—
Lizzie Johnson,
New Yorker,
25 Apr. 2026
-
That flight had twice aborted takeoff and declared an emergency due to an odor onboard that was sickening flight attendants.—
Aaron Cooper,
CNN Money,
23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
But early polls have showed Schlossberg parlaying his Kennedy aura, name recognition and attention-grabbing social media chops into a shocking lead, with Bores also in the mix.—
Dave Goldiner,
New York Daily News,
9 May 2026
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Six permanent outdoor works are dotted around the property, including a large rocket by Polish artist Goshka Macuga and a shocking pink tree, commissioned specifically for the island, by Pamela Rosenkranz.—
Fiona Sinclair Scott,
CNN Money,
9 May 2026
Adjective
-
The two hideous games between the Lakers and Rockets will likely come to mind relatively quickly, but the trend has been greater than just one series.—
John Hollinger,
New York Times,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Such is a snarky line that Emily Blunt delivers as Emily Charlton in The Devil Wears Prada, a character who would rather faint than wear something hideous.—
Christian Allaire,
Vogue,
21 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Off-putting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/off-putting. Accessed 12 May. 2026.
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