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Glite Dictionary
obstreperous

obstreperous

3 9.9
Very noisy and hard to control, like a loud crowd
  • adjective
  • /əbˈstrɛpərəs/
translation icon : ruidoso
  • "Don't you recall the happy days of your infancy when you and I remained gorgeously secluded from a vulgar and obstreperous world?"

It's not toughness that's obstreperous and and swaggering, but he's capable of it.

Examples

  • The few students who started out to be cute or obstreperous were either ignored or their actions were so resented by their classmates that they eventually "fell into line."

    Academic text (1995)

  • In recent years, security personnel in selected stadiums have stepped forward to restrain the obstreperous abuser of alcohol.

    Academic text (1990)

  • I think that the media in general rewards obstreperous behaviour.

  • Music can make the difference for young people whom we may initially find off-putting or obstreperous.

    Academic text (1999)

  • Don't let it get too obstreperous.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • He had appeared one day in the company of the department's most obstreperous teaching assistant.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • Yesterday's crying jag had somehow leached out Lindsay's fears and left her more confident that she could deal with her obstreperous little brother.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • The blogs that claim conservative viewpoints are particularly obstreperous with their obsessive need to inflict insults and abuse.

    Blog text (4)

  • There were important dissenters: in the mid-twentieth century, the astronomer Harlow Shapley and the obstreperous astrophysicist Fritz Zwicky presented extensive observational evidence to the contrary.

    Academic text (2005)

  • The obstreperous children made it difficult for the teacher to maintain order in the classroom.

Synonyms

disruptive
vsobstreperous
57 5.8

Causing trouble that interrupts normal activity

is centered on noisy, unruly behaviour rather than only interruptions
unruly
vsobstreperous
41 4.3

Difficult to control and messy or noisy

is more about noisy, boisterous behaviour rather than only disorder
disorderly
vsobstreperous
34 4.4

Behaving badly and not following rules

is more focused on noisy, hard to control behaviour than rule breaking
rambunctious
vsobstreperous
13 7.5

Very noisy and full of energy that is hard to control

is almost the same but highlights boisterous, unruly noise
fractious
vsobstreperous
7 9.9

Being hard to control and easily annoyed, often causing trouble

is more about loud, boisterous disturbance than irritability alone
robustious
vsobstreperous
  • Archaic
1 9.9

Being noisy and energetic without control

is similar but stresses being especially boisterous and hard to manage
rumbustious
vsobstreperous
  • Informal
9.9

Loud and lively in a rough, out of control way

is similar but used especially for noisy, unruly troublemaking
roisterous
vsobstreperous
  • Archaic
8.7

Loud and lively in a wild way

is closer to causing control problems and unruly behaviour

Antonyms

calm
735 1.0

Not showing strong feelings and being very still

manageable
57 3.2

Easy to deal with

How Noisy

riotous
2 7.9
obstreperous
3 9.9
rowdy
34 3.6
boisterous
18 4.7
noisy
125 1.0

Surface Forms

obstreperous positive

Morphology

obstreperous = ob + strep + ous

Although the form reflects Latin ob- + strep- + -ous, the central element 'strep' is not a productive English base and the meaning 'noisy and difficult to control' is not derivable by an average B1 learner from the parts.

Etymology

Obstreperous comes from Latin parts ob- 'against' and strepere 'to make a noise'. So an obstreperous person or crowd is like someone making loud noise 'against' order — noisy and hard to control.