obnoxious
Americanadjective
-
highly objectionable or offensive; odious.
obnoxious behavior.
- Antonyms:
- delightful
-
annoying or objectionable due to being a show-off or attracting undue attention to oneself.
an obnoxious little brat.
-
Archaic. exposed or liable to harm, evil, or anything objectionable.
-
Obsolete. liable to punishment or censure; reprehensible.
adjective
-
extremely unpleasant
-
obsolete exposed to harm, injury, etc
Related Words
See hateful.
Other Word Forms
- obnoxiously adverb
- obnoxiousness noun
- unobnoxious adjective
- unobnoxiously adverb
Etymology
Origin of obnoxious
First recorded in 1575–85; from Latin obnoxiōsus “harmful,” equivalent to ob- “to, toward, against,” + noxiōsus “harmful”; ob-, noxious
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.
Zara pulls a face, and I instantly regret the stupid, obnoxious ringtone I picked, which for some reason is set to maximum volume.
From Literature
“It is even possible,” Hegel writes, “that such men may treat other great, even sacred interests, inconsiderately; conduct which is indeed obnoxious to moral reprehension.”
From Salon
It can be loud and distracting and obnoxious.
From Los Angeles Times
The severity of seemingly mundane, everyday anxieties — school bullies, the prom, graduation, obnoxious Cher-obsessed college roommates — is on par with demons trying to hasten the apocalypse.
From Salon
The dig at the Oscars’ move to YouTube with the appearance of random loud and obnoxious ads was right on — though I will watch any ad that stars Jane Lynch.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions 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.
