ob·nox·ious

[uhb-nok-shuhs]
adjective
1.
highly objectionable or offensive; odious: obnoxious behavior.
2.
annoying or objectionable due to being a showoff or attracting undue attention to oneself: an obnoxious little brat.
3.
Archaic. exposed or liable to harm, evil, or anything objectionable.
4.
Obsolete. liable to punishment or censure; reprehensible.

Origin:
1575–85; < Latin obnoxiōsus harmful, equivalent to ob- ob- + noxiōsus noxious

ob·nox·ious·ly, adverb
ob·nox·ious·ness, noun
un·ob·nox·i·ous, adjective
un·ob·nox·i·ous·ly, adverb


1. See hateful.


1. delightful.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To obnoxious
00:10
Obnoxious is always a great word to know.
So is quincunx. Does it mean:
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.
Collins
World English Dictionary
obnoxious (əbˈnɒkʃəs) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
adj
1.  extremely unpleasant
2.  obsolete exposed to harm, injury, etc
 
[C16: from Latin obnoxius, from ob- to + noxa injury, from nocēre to harm]
 
ob'noxiously
 
adv
 
ob'noxiousness
 
n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

obnoxious
1581, from L. obnoxiosus "hurtful, injurious," from obnoxius "subject to harm," from ob "to, toward" + noxa "injury, hurt, damage entailing liability" (see noxious). Originally "subject to authority, subject to something harmful;" meaning "offensive, hateful" is first recorded
1675, influenced by noxious (q.v.).
"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]
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
Your ignorance and that of the physics community is deep, in your face and
  obnoxious.
Then follows an obnoxious wedding scene with grotesque comedy.
Years can change and be replaced, but not the obnoxious dark characters of
  human beings.
That's obnoxious to a degree that simply defies description.
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