What does obnoxious mean?
Word: Obnoxious
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Obnoxious means very rude, nasty or annoying, in a way that offends people.
Synonyms: offensive, nasty, horrid
Antonyms: agreeable, charming
How do you spell obnoxious?
Syllables: ob - nox - ious
Tricky part: The ks sound is spelt with a single x, and the word ends in ious. Obnocsious and obnoxius are the usual slips.
Watch out for: obnocsious, obnoxius, obnoxsious
Memory tip: Look for the ox hiding in the middle of the word: an ox that plants itself across a busy road can be very obnoxious.
Obnoxious in a sentence
Example 1: The obnoxious fan kept shouting at the umpire during the whole match.
Example 2: The obnoxious boy at the back kept kicking my seat all through the film.
Example 3: He was sorry for being obnoxious to his little brother and apologised.
Fun Fact
Obnoxious once meant exposed to harm. Over the centuries it shifted to its modern sense of very unpleasant.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the correctly spelt word:
a) obnoxious
b) anxeous
c) mischievious
d) jelous
Show answer
a) obnoxious. Anxious has an i before ous, mischievous has no i after the v, and jealous needs an a.
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word: obnoxious
a) irritating
b) hateful
c) spiteful
d) pleasant
Show answer
d) pleasant. Irritating, hateful and spiteful lean the same way as obnoxious; pleasant is the opposite.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
The abnoxious smell from the open drain made everyone cover their noses.
a) noses
b) abnoxious
c) everyone
d) drain
Show answer
b) abnoxious. The word begins with ob, as in object.
Mingle-Mangle
Form a meaningful word from the jumbled letters:
xoinbosuo
a) anxious
b) noxious
c) obvious
d) obnoxious
Show answer
d) obnoxious. Anxious and noxious are too short, and obvious has a v; the full set of nine letters spells obnoxious.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which of these guests would most people call obnoxious?
a) one who mocks the food and shouts at the waiter
b) one who arrives early to help set the table
c) one who brings a small gift for the hosts
d) one who leaves quietly before the dessert
Show answer
a) one who mocks the food and shouts at the waiter
2. If classmates call a boy obnoxious, how do they most likely feel about him?
a) calm and relaxed
b) grateful and pleased
c) curious and excited
d) annoyed and offended
Show answer
d) annoyed and offended
