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obnoxious

adjective
ob·​nox·​ious | \ äb-ˈnäk-shəs How to pronounce obnoxious (audio) , əb-\

Definition of obnoxious

1 : odiously or disgustingly objectionable : highly offensive
2 archaic : exposed to something unpleasant or harmful —used with to
3 archaic : deserving of censure
Other Words from obnoxious Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Learn More about obnoxious

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Other Words from obnoxious

obnoxiously adverb
obnoxiousness noun

Examples of obnoxious in a Sentence

Let's get right into it. The title of your book, Why We Suck, is pretty obnoxious. Are we really that bad? — Rachel Deahl, Boston Globe, 30 Nov. 2008 "Not to sound obnoxious, but this downturn could be good for us," says Max Levchin, founder and CEO of Slide, in San Francisco. "Some of our competitors are going to go out of business." — Daniel Lyons, Newsweek, 20 Oct. 2008
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Recent Examples on the Web

 To do so as a representative of the entity responsible for the 8:06 p.m. kickoff is obnoxious. — Tim Sullivan, The Courier-Journal, "Kirk Herbstreit should blame ESPN for Louisville fans leaving the Notre Dame game early," 3 Sep. 2019 As a result, obnoxious opinions don’t simply disappear when they’re removed from mainstream service providers. — Elaine Ou, Twin Cities, "Elaine Ou: Tech companies want out of the censorship business," 14 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'obnoxious.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of obnoxious

1597, in the meaning defined at sense 2

History and Etymology for obnoxious

Latin obnoxius "under obligation, subservient, liable, exposed to, vulnerable" (of uncertain origin) + -ous

Note: Latin obnoxius has traditionally been taken to be a parasynthetic derivative from the phrase ob noxiam "due to wrongdoing, on account of bad behavior" (see noxious), but this explanation does not account for the primary senses of the word. Ernout and Meillet (Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue latine) take -noxius as a desiderative derivative from the base of nancīscī "to acquire" (see enough entry 1), parallel to anxius "worried"/angere "to strangle, distress" (see anxious), alsius "liable to injury from cold"/algēre "to be cold." The English sense "objectionable" is probably due to influence of noxious and its etymon, Latin noxius.

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More Definitions for obnoxious

obnoxious

adjective
How to pronounce obnoxious (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of obnoxious

: unpleasant in a way that makes people feel offended, annoyed, or disgusted

See the full definition for obnoxious in the English Language Learners Dictionary

obnoxious

adjective
ob·​nox·​ious | \ äb-ˈnäk-shəs How to pronounce obnoxious (audio) , əb-\

Kids Definition of obnoxious

: very disagreeable : hateful Judd had heard the obnoxious whine of the motorcycle every day.— Margo Sorenson, Firewatch

Other Words from obnoxious

obnoxiously adverb

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