obstreperous
[uh b-strep-er-uh s]
- resisting control or restraint in a difficult manner; unruly.
- noisy, clamorous, or boisterous: obstreperous children.
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Origin of obstreperous
Synonyms
See more synonyms for obstreperous on Thesaurus.com1. uncontrolled, refractory.
Antonyms
1. obedient. 2. calm.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for obstreperous
Contemporary Examples
Yeah, they may have been extreme or obstreperous or this or that, but they were good.
Lots of things got in the way of that, notably the lousy economy, and secondly the obstreperous Republicans.
In time the obstreperous Texicans developed revolutionary ideas.
Even the messiest, most obstreperous books are reduced to a litany of bullet points, or a single bullet point.
He liked to drink, colleagues say, and would occasionally get obstreperous.
Historical Examples
She disposed of that obstreperous individual most summarily.
Grace Harlowe's Return to Overton CampusJessie Graham Flower
Little Fay was as obstreperous as Tony was disagreeably silent and aloof.
Jan and Her JobL. Allen Harker
And presently Jan was sleeping almost as soundly as her obstreperous niece.
Jan and Her JobL. Allen Harker
The obstreperous mother of the pretended groom was—Captain Loreuil!
A Nest of SpiesPierre Souvestre
"None of your tricks on travelers," said he, in his obstreperous way.
Put Yourself in His PlaceCharles Reade
obstreperous
- noisy or rough, esp in resisting restraint or control
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Word Origin
C16: from Latin, from obstrepere, from ob- against + strepere to roar
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for obstreperous
adj.
c.1600, from Latin obstreperus "clamorous," from obstrepere "drown with noise, make a noise against, oppose noisily," from ob "against" (see ob-) + strepere "make a noise," from PIE *strep-, said to be imitative (cf. Latin stertare "to snore," Old Norse þrapt "chattering," Old English þræft "quarrel"). Related: Obstreperously; obstreperousness.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper