Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Very annoying or objectionable; offensive or odious.
  • adjective Archaic Exposed or subject to harm, injury, or evil.
  • adjective Archaic Deserving of or liable to censure.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Liable: subject; exposed, as to harm, injury, or punishment: generally with to: as, obnoxious to blame or to criticism.
  • Justly liable to punishment; hence, guilty; reprehensible; censurable.
  • Offensive; odious; hateful.
  • In law, vulnerable; amenable: with to: as, an indefinite allegation in pleading is obnoxious to a motion, but not generally to a demurrer.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Subject; liable; exposed; answerable; amenable; -- with to.
  • adjective Liable to censure; exposed to punishment; reprehensible; blameworthy.
  • adjective Very offensive; odious; hateful

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Very annoying, offensive, odious or contemptible.
  • adjective archaic exposed to harm or injury.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective causing disapproval or protest

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Latin obnoxiōsus, subordinate, from obnoxius, subject, liable : ob-, to; see ob– + noxa, injury; see nek- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Latin obnoxiōsus ("hurtful, injurious, dangerous"), from obnoxius ("punishable; liable to danger"), from ob ("against; facing") + noxia ("hurt, injury, damage").

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Examples

  • HUFFTINGTON: Well, the greatest fears have to do with the voices in our heads, what I call the obnoxious roommate living in our head, putting us down every day.

    CNN Transcript Oct 16, 2006 2006

  • Mladic tells court does not want to enter pleas Ratko Mladic defiantly refused on Friday to enter pleas to what he called "obnoxious" allegations that as the Serb military chief during the Bosnian war he orchestrated the worst atrocities of a conflict that claimed 100,000 lives.

    The Seattle Times 2011

  • Although Mr. Isaacson is not analytical about his subject's volatile personality the word "obnoxious" figures in the book frequently, he raises the question of whether feelings of abandonment in childhood made him fanatically controlling and manipulative as an adult.

    NYT > Home Page By JANET MASLIN 2011

  • Although Mr. Isaacson is not analytical about his subject's volatile personality the word "obnoxious" figures in the book frequently, he raises the question of whether feelings of abandonment in childhood made him fanatically controlling and manipulative as an adult.

    NYT > Home Page By JANET MASLIN 2011

  • Although Mr. Isaacson is not analytical about his subject's volatile personality the word "obnoxious" figures in the book frequently, he raises the question of whether feelings of abandonment in childhood made him fanatically controlling and manipulative as an adult.

    NYT > Home Page By JANET MASLIN 2011

  • Ratko Mladic defiantly refused on Friday to enter pleas to what he called "obnoxious" allegations that as the Serb military chief during the Bosnian war he orchestrated the worst atrocities of a conflict that claimed 100,000 lives.

    chicagotribune.com - News 2011

  • I suppose in Britain being obnoxious is still against the law, unlike the US.

    The Volokh Conspiracy » Criminal Conviction in England for Leaving Anti-Religious Leaflets in Airport Prayer Room 2010

  • No, the best way to make PWCs less obnoxious is to put about a teaspoon of beach sand under the sparkplug when the operator returns to the beach for a joint and more beer.

    Making Jet Skis Less Obnoxious 2010

  • No, the best way to make PWCs less obnoxious is to put about a teaspoon of beach sand under the sparkplug when the operator returns to the beach for a joint and more beer.

    Making Jet Skis Less Obnoxious 2010

  • I suppose in Britain being obnoxious is still against the law, unlike the US. But then, they started the whole politeness thing with afternoon tea.

    The Volokh Conspiracy » Criminal Conviction in England for Leaving Anti-Religious Leaflets in Airport Prayer Room 2010

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