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
The lengthy literary references are a bit off-putting in an otherwise poignant story of secrets and growth by a first-time novelist.
—
Sandra Dallas, Denver Post, 6 Dec. 2025
Baby ponders love in all its rejuvenating and off-putting shapes, sweating with a husband and father’s devotion but sometimes with a son’s pining for a closer connection with an oaklike and unreadable elder.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025
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
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
See All Example Sentences for off-putting
Sandra Dallas, Denver Post, 6 Dec. 2025
Baby ponders love in all its rejuvenating and off-putting shapes, sweating with a husband and father’s devotion but sometimes with a son’s pining for a closer connection with an oaklike and unreadable elder.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025
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
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
See All Example Sentences for off-putting
Recent Examples of Synonyms for off-putting
Adjective
-
By and large, Kenny comes off as a nice guy, if not a smidge obnoxious.—
Jordan Hoffman,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 Feb. 2026
-
When an obnoxious influencer (Zach Galifianakis, delightfully punchable) dies in a freak accident at her gallery, Polina decides to pass off his corpse as an exhibition centerpiece.—
Kathleen Newman-Bremang,
Refinery29,
28 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Just last week the president tweeted a vile and disgusting image of President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, and refuses to apologize.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 Feb. 2026
-
So the disgusting attempt to rewrite history – won’t help.—
Grace Gilson,
Sun Sentinel,
16 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Besides preventing mold and mildew, cleaning will also taper unpleasant odors and prevent cracking and crumbling of your seal.—
Caroline Lubinsky,
Martha Stewart,
21 Feb. 2026
-
By washing white rice, the excess starch is washed off, as well as any oxidized rice bran oil coating the outside, which can add an unpleasant flavor to the cooked rice.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
21 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
In more ways than one, this war has mutated into an ugly numbers game.—
Matthew Chance,
CNN Money,
21 Feb. 2026
-
The artist has described herself as a black hole where people can dump their feelings, but her music moves beyond ugly emotions toward catharsis.—
Sheldon Pearce,
New Yorker,
20 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
And not this awful thing that happens again.—
Jackie Strause,
HollywoodReporter,
18 Feb. 2026
-
The Padres were mostly woeful for a decade before Preller’s arrival and wholly awful the first five seasons under his direction.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The rest of us could only imagine Randall’s sickening embarrassment at needing to testify at the trial.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Her death — sudden, severe, senseless — is sickening.—
Noel Murray,
Vulture,
16 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
While Dunk emerged victorious in the trial, the battle was not without bloodshed and deaths, including a shocking one no one saw coming.—
Saman Shafiq,
USA Today,
21 Feb. 2026
-
Saturday’s loss was neither KU’s biggest home loss, nor the most shocking, of the Self era.—
Shreyas Laddha,
Kansas City Star,
21 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The 4chan logic that turned even the most hideous news and ideas into empty entertainment pervades everything on the internet now—more proof that lol, nothing matters.—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
14 Feb. 2026
-
The hideous curbside piles of frozen slush blocking New York City streets have a name.—
Ian Crouch,
New Yorker,
3 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Off-putting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/off-putting. Accessed 23 Feb. 2026.
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