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.
Recent research on the growth of social supermarkets, external backed the idea that they were less off-putting than food banks and large commercial stores for those facing food insecurity.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
And while there are certainly amateurish or off-putting presentations—and, arguably worse, downright boring ones—there’s plenty to uncover.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
Sugar is often added to drinks for mouthfeel and to cover up the off-putting tastes of functional ingredients.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 11, 2026
The more people dislike him, the more loudly announces he’s actually a deeply moral person, which is an obnoxious and off-putting lie that alienates people more.
From Salon ● Jun. 15, 2026
For a start it was painted in an off-putting shade of green and a peculiar shade of pink.
From "Coraline" by Neil Gaiman
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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.
