What does "obnoxious" mean?
Extremely offensive or unpleasant; very annoying, contemptible, or odious.
Obnoxious
/əbˈnɒkʃəs/ adj
adj ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Extremely offensive or unpleasant; very annoying, contemptible, or odious.
- Grammar: obnoxious is listed as adj.
- Nearest alternatives: abhorrent, abject, abominable, antipathetic.
- Useful contrasts: agreeable, considerate, decent.
- Usage evidence: Lawyers and real estate agents are rich or obnoxious.
How to use "obnoxious"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "obnoxious" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "obnoxious" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "obnoxious" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "obnoxious" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "obnoxious" is acting as adj in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "abhorrent" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "obnoxious", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Adjective
- 1 Extremely offensive or unpleasant; very annoying, contemptible, or odious.
"Throwing stones at the bus is another example of your obnoxious behaviour."
- 2 Unjustly disagreeable, argumentative or objectionable; brazenly rude.
"He was an especially obnoxious and detestable specimen of a man."
- 3 Exposed or vulnerable to something, especially harm or injury. archaic, obsolete
"[T]he reſidence and the ſingle liuinges of miniſters preſume not onely to annihilate the ſolemne ordinations of ſuch as the Church muſt of force admit, but alſo to vrge a kinde of vniuerſall proſcription againſt them, to ſet dovvne articles to dravv commiſſions, and almoſt to name themſelues of the Quorum for inquirie into mens eſtates and dealings, vvhom at their pleaſure they vvould depriue and make obnoxious to vvhat puniſhment themſelues liſt, […]"
- 4 Causing harm or injury; harmful, hurtful, injurious. obsolete
"It [the crocodile] is the moſt obnoxious of all ſea monſters, […]"
- 5 Deserving of blame or punishment; blameworthy, guilty. obsolete
"And they dreſſed and prepard Hierome of Prage, an oath, in the Councell of Conſtance, by vvhich he muſt ſvveare, freely, voluntarily, (or elſe bee burned) and ſimplie, and vvithout condition, To aſſent to that Church, in all things, but eſpecially in the Doctrines of the Keyes, and Eccleſiaſtick immunities and reliques, and all the ceremonies, vvhich vvere the moſt obnoxious matters."
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 Under the authority or power of someone; subject, subordinate; hence, deferential, submissive, subservient. obsolete
"[M]ost of them (the fellowes) being sneaking and obnoxious, they did run rather with the temper of the warden, than stand against him, to keep themselves in and enjoy their comfortable importances."
- 7 Followed by to: likely to do something. obsolete
"[O]ur corruption novv is more obnoxious and apter to admitte and inuite ſuch poyſonous ingredients, and temporall reſpects, then in thoſe purer times, […]"
Adjective
- 1 causing disapproval or protest wordnet
Antonyms
Example
"Lawyers and real estate agents are rich or obnoxious."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "obnoxious"?
Common synonyms include: abhorrent, abject, abominable, antipathetic, arrant, atrocious.
How do you use "obnoxious" in a sentence?
Lawyers and real estate agents are rich or obnoxious.
How do you pronounce "obnoxious"?
Pronounced /əbˈnɒkʃəs/.
Etymology
PIE word *h₁epi Learned borrowing from Latin obnoxiōsus (“subject to someone, under someone’s authority”) + English -ous (suffix denoting the presence of a quality in any degree, typically an abundance). Obnoxiōsus is derived from obnoxius (“guilty, punishable; subject to someone, under someone’s authority”) + -ōsus (suffix meaning ‘full of; overly; prone to’, forming adjectives from nouns).