obnoxious

obnoxious
obnoxious (adj.) 1580s, "subject to the authority of another," from L. obnoxiosus "hurtful, injurious," from obnoxius "subject to harm," from ob "to, toward" (see OB- (Cf. ob-)) + noxa "injury, hurt, damage entailing liability" (see NOXIOUS (Cf. noxious)). Meaning "subject to something harmful" is 1590s; meaning "offensive, hateful" is first recorded 1670s, influenced by noxious.
Obnoxious has two very different senses, one of which (exposed or open or liable to attack or injury) requires notice because its currency is now so restricted that it is puzzling to the uninstructed. It is the word's rightful or de jure meaning, and we may hope that scholarly writers will keep it alive. [Fowler]
Related: Obnoxiously; obnoxiousness.

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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  • Obnoxious — Ob*nox ious ([o^]b*n[o^]k sh[u^]s), a. [L. obnoxius; ob (see {Ob }) + noxius hurtful. See {Noxious}.] 1. Subject; liable; exposed; answerable; amenable; with to. [1913 Webster] The writings of lawyers, which are tied obnoxious to their particular …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • obnoxious — I adjective abhorrent, abominable, annoying, antagonizing, antipathetic, base, beastly, blameworthy, censurable, contemptible, deplorable, despicable, detestable, disagreeable, disgusting, displeasing, execrable, faulty, foul, fulsome, gross,… …   Law dictionary

  • obnoxious — distasteful, invidious, abhorrent, *repugnant, repellent Analogous words: *hateful, odious, detestable, abominable: *offensive, loathsome, repulsive, revolting Antonyms: grateful …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • obnoxious — [adj] offensive, repulsive abhorrent, abominable, annoying, awful, beastly*, big mouth*, detestable, disagreeable, disgusting, dislikable, displeasing, foul, gross*, hateable, hateful, heel, horrid, insufferable, invidious, loathsome, mean, nasty …   New thesaurus

  • obnoxious — and offensive in ordinary use are synonymous, and mean highly objectionable, disagreeable, displeasing, and distasteful …   Black's law dictionary

  • obnoxious — ► ADJECTIVE ▪ extremely unpleasant. DERIVATIVES obnoxiously adverb obnoxiousness noun. ORIGIN originally in the sense «vulnerable»: from Latin obnoxius exposed to harm …   English terms dictionary

  • obnoxious — [əb näk′shəs, äbnäk′shəs] adj. [L obnoxiosus < obnoxius, subject or exposed to danger < ob (see OB ) + noxa, harm < base of nocere, to hurt: see NECRO ] 1. a) exposed or liable to injury, evil, or harm b) liable to punishment; censurable …   English World dictionary

  • obnoxious — adj. 1) obnoxious to 2) obnoxious to + inf. (it was obnoxious of them to do that) * * * [əb nɒkʃəs] obnoxious to obnoxious to + inf. (it was obnoxious of them to do that) …   Combinatory dictionary

  • obnoxious — ob|nox|ious [əbˈnɔkʃəs US ˈna:k ] adj [Date: 1500 1600; : Latin; Origin: obnoxius, from noxa harm ] very offensive, unpleasant, or rude ▪ She s really obnoxious. ▪ an obnoxious idea ▪ obnoxious odours >obnoxiously adv >obnoxiousness n [U] …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • obnoxious — [[t]ɒbnɒ̱kʃəs[/t]] ADJ GRADED (disapproval) If you describe someone as obnoxious, you think that they are very unpleasant. One of the parents was a most obnoxious character. No one liked him... The people at my table were so obnoxious I simply… …   English dictionary

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