off-putting
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of off-putting
Explanation
If something's off-putting, it annoys or disgusts you. A waiter's bad breath might be off-putting, and the high prices on the menu might be equally off-putting. Off-putting things can seem unappealing, irritating, or downright horrifying. An off-putting movie trailer won't tempt you to see the film and an off-putting list of rules might keep you from signing up for a gym membership. In the sixteenth century, off-putting had a completely different meaning — basically "putting off," or "procrastinating." It wasn't until the late 1800s that it came to mean "creating an unfavorable impression."
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.
Many of us were raised to sneer at social influence—instructed to resist peer pressure at all costs—but there’s another term for thinking about all this that’s less off-putting: role modeling.
From Slate • May 15, 2026
Lutnick said he found the comment "off-putting", and so he and his wife excused themselves and left the home.
From BBC • May 14, 2026
Instead, he is as off-putting at the end of the picture as he was at the beginning.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 19, 2026
The effect is as off-putting as it is intriguing, but neither feeling would be possible without Van Der Beek’s excellent Sean Bateman.
From Salon • Feb. 15, 2026
Penelope sneaked a glance at the giver of these strangely off-putting gifts.
From "The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: Book I: The Mysterious Howling" by Maryrose Wood
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.
