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 Political experts contend that messages that seem contradictory to a candidate’s background, as well as drowning voters with incessant ads, can be jarring and off-putting to the electorate. — Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 10 June 2026 And yet for God’s sake, just look at the man—at his dispiriting attempts at humor, his weirdly off-putting outfits, his incessant posting of banalities and faux profundities and extreme-right disinformation on social media. — Mark O’Connell, The New York Review of Books, 4 July 2026 This tangled relationship between Lestat and Armand, and all the guilt Lestat carries from it, provides a major breakthrough for Molloy’s documentary, and the journalist reacts with giddy, off-putting glee. — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 23 June 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 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
  • Noah Kahan is speaking out about a disgusting habit picked up by some music fans.
    — Taijuan Moorman, USA Today, 29 June 2026
  • French broadcaster French Pierron was under fire for calling childbirth 'a disgusting moment.
    — Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 22 June 2026
Definition of disgusting
Adjective
  • Alas, Ligeti proved to be an extraordinarily difficult collaborator, his manic perfectionism colliding with practical reality and leading to unpleasant scenes.
    — Alex Ross, New Yorker, 29 June 2026
  • The consequences are unpleasant, but can also turn dangerous very quickly as body temperature rises.
    — Victoria Forster, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026
Definition of unpleasant
Adjective
  • Lasko’s teammate, Devin Taylor, was able to get up and field the rolling ball that split the two defenders, but Lasko stayed on the ground in what was a pretty ugly crash.
    — Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 3 July 2026
  • His ability to perform a cesarean section — something Doc couldn't dream of — forces the town to reckon with an ugly part of their collective conscience.
    — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 3 July 2026
Definition of ugly
Adjective
  • One year Pippa Middleton faced the awful shame of having to sit in a normal seat after showing up late.
    — Nick Miller, New York Times, 4 July 2026
  • Sugar is at the forensic lab with the corpse of a man who looks an awful lot like Ji Moon but isn’t Ji Moon (courtesy of Shea Whigham as Tom Flybjerg).
    — Andy Andersen, Vulture, 27 June 2026
Definition of awful
Adjective
  • Toxic fumes are leaking into airplanes and sickening passengers and crew members at an alarming rate, according to a September 2025 report by The Wall Street Journal.
    — Christopher Edwards, PEOPLE, 15 June 2026
  • The concept of this many women vying for West is somewhat sickening to me.
    — Emma Specter, Vogue, 27 May 2026
Definition of sickening
Adjective
  • Cape Verde began this run by making a statement, producing a shocking 0-0 draw against soccer powerhouse Spain on June 15 in its first-ever World Cup match.
    — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 4 July 2026
  • The Packers then blew a 21-3 halftime lead in the Wild Card round against Chicago, gave up 25 fourth quarter points and eventually suffered a shocking 31-27 loss to the arch-rival Bears.
    — Rob Reischel, Forbes.com, 4 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 7 Jul. 2026.

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