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Synonyms

off-putting

American  
[awf-poot-ing, of-] / ˈɔfˌpʊt ɪŋ, ˈɒf- /

adjective

  1. provoking uneasiness, dislike, annoyance, or repugnance; disturbing or disagreeable.

off-putting British  

adjective

  1. informal disconcerting or disturbing

"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

Other Word Forms

  • off-puttingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of off-putting

1820–30; off + putting, after verb phrase put off

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.

"It's annoying, to be honest, like when we want to eat, I lose my appetite. The smell is just off-putting."

From Barron's • Feb. 17, 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

Keyishian’s gentle Theo is so solicitous that Sally’s abrasiveness begins to feel abusive, not to say theatrically off-putting.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 14, 2026

I find it off-putting when someone communicating with me doesn’t have the courtesy to compose his own email.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 13, 2026

Actually, I found the amount of attention that I was getting to be very off-putting.

From "Where Things Come Back" by John Corey Whaley

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.