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obnoxious

obnoxious

125 5.1
Very unpleasant in a way that makes people angry or upset
  • adjective
  • /əbˈnɑkʃəs/
  • Offensive
: odioso
  • Many find her constant bragging obnoxious and off-putting.
  • an obnoxious person
  • so obnoxious
  • most obnoxious

It's always the most desperate, obnoxious, least attractive people.

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Examples

  • Tips for being a less obnoxious conversationalist?

  • Now this guy looks really obnoxious.

  • But there is, there are these which are really obnoxious folks.

  • It's just obnoxious to show on the Internet at all.

  • It's obnoxious that it's actually a real thing.

  • It's kind of cute and obnoxious at the same time.

  • What does that have to do with how obnoxious he is being?

  • A person can only be obnoxious so many times in one evening.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • This kid is so obnoxious.

  • Sometimes he can be pretty obnoxious.

Synonyms

awful
vsobnoxious
914 1.0

Very bad or unpleasant and causing dislike

is more about prompting disapproval and active complaint
disgusting
vsobnoxious
538 1.3

Causing a strong feeling of dislike or making you feel sick

is more about causing social disapproval or public protest
annoying
vsobnoxious
415 1.0

Making someone feel bothered or irritated

is stronger involving deep offence and public disapproval
unpleasant
vsobnoxious
183 1.0

Not nice and causing discomfort or unhappiness

is stronger tending to offend deeply or cause protest
irritating
vsobnoxious
68 2.9

Making someone feel annoyed or impatient

is more extreme causing offence and reasons to protest
intolerable
vsobnoxious
41 4.9

So unpleasant or painful that you cannot bear it

emphasizes social dislike and reasons for complaint instead
distasteful
vsobnoxious
34 4.6

Something that makes people feel dislike or disgust

is harsher implying stronger offence and public protest
objectionable
vsobnoxious
29 6.7

Causing people to feel offended or want to protest

is stronger often meaning extreme unpleasantness or protest
infuriating
vsobnoxious
27 5.3

Causing you to feel very angry or annoyed

is more about causing moral offence and public protest
abominable
vsobnoxious
26 7.2

Very bad or morally wrong so people strongly dislike it

is broader also covering rude or unpleasant behaviour
insufferable
vsobnoxious
25 7.5

So unpleasant you cannot stand it

focuses more on causing offence and social protest rather than endurance
abhorrent
vsobnoxious
21 7.7

Causing strong dislike or disgust because people see it as morally wrong

is used more generally for strong dislike or social disapproval
loathsome
vsobnoxious
19 7.7

Causing strong disgust or hatred in people

is broader adding social offence and reasons to protest
odious
vsobnoxious
  • Formal
19 8.2

Very unpleasant and likely to make people feel strong dislike

is more about making people disapprove or object publicly
disagreeable
vsobnoxious
15 5.0

Unfriendly in manner so people feel uncomfortable

is more severe provoking strong disapproval or public objection
bothersome
vsobnoxious
13 3.5

Causing annoyance or trouble

is harsher implying offensive behaviour that provokes complaint
detestable
vsobnoxious
9 6.5

Very unpleasant and causing people to feel strong dislike or hate

is wider also covering extreme annoyance or public protest
dickish
vsobnoxious
  • Offensive
4 9.9

Rude and unkind in a way that annoys other people

is broader covering extreme offence and social condemnation
offensive
vsobnoxious
3 5.3

Having a bad smell or taste that bothers you

is more severe and likely to prompt public disapproval
highly offensive
vsobnoxious
  • Offensive
3 6.6

Very rude and likely to make people feel angry or hurt

includes that insult but also covers broader social disapproval
obstreperous
vsobnoxious
2 9.9

Very noisy and hard to control, like a loud crowd

is different focusing on causing moral offence and protest
vexatious
vsobnoxious
1 8.7

Causing people to feel annoyed or frustrated

is more about strong offence that leads to public protest
highly derogatory
vsobnoxious
  • Offensive
1 7.5

Very insulting and likely to deeply offend people

is wider applying to actions and things as well not only words
disgustful
vsobnoxious
1 6.7

Causing a strong feeling of dislike or making people feel sick

is broader focusing on offense and social rejection rather than physical revulsion

Antonyms

323 1.0

Giving a gentle feeling of enjoyment

22 1.0

Pleasant to be with or to experience

How Offensive

repulsive
54 5.5
offensive
  • Offensive
276 4.0
obnoxious
  • Offensive
125 5.1
annoying
415 1.0
unpleasant
183 1.0

Surface Forms

obnoxious positive

Morphology

obnoxious = noxious (semi-transparent) = ob + noxious

Although built from 'ob-' + 'noxious', the modern sense 'offensive' has diverged somewhat from 'harmful', so learners may only partially infer the meaning.

Etymology

Obnoxious comes from Latin parts ob- ('against') and noxa ('harm'), and is related to the English word noxious ('harmful'). So think of someone or something that 'hurts' or strongly annoys others — that's why obnoxious means very unpleasant or offensive.