adjective
-
(esp of smells) offensive
-
harmful or noxious
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of noisome
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English noy (aphetic variant of annoy ) + -some 1
Explanation
If you accidentally leave half a sandwich under your bed for a few days, cover your nose while you sleep because it will probably become quite noisome. This is a fancy way of saying that it will stink. Despite that first syllable, this adjective doesn’t have root origins in the word noise; instead, it is related to the word annoy. Noisome can refer to anything unpleasant or anything that makes you feel a bit nauseous. However, it is most often used to describe things that smell badly. So spray some air freshener, open the windows, and clean out under your bed!
Vocabulary lists containing noisome
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
From a commercial standpoint, the companies have been reluctant to get in the way of the torrent, unless it’s so noisome that it crosses an inescapable line.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2022
The problems of chamber pots — also known as “jerries, night soil, commodes, slop jars, close stools and thunder mugs” — also contributed to this noisome mix.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 4, 2016
Media scholar Tim Wu plunges into the noisome history of “attention harvesting” — the commodification of human attention by industry and government.
From Nature ● Oct. 11, 2016
Even when a hairdo-guessing contest led its hostess to screech “Yeaaaahhh!” at 105 decibels — high-pitched sounds in that range can be particularly noisome to human ears — the crowd got only louder to compensate.
From New York Times ● Jun. 6, 2011
The noisome fumes of the stink bomb forced officials to evacuate the school. nonplussed.
From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
