Obnoxious
/əbˈnɒk.ʃəs/noun
Extremely unpleasant or offensive.
Did you know?In Latin, obnoxius could describe someone “liable” or “submissive,” and the word’s older force is about vulnerability and bondage, not mere irritation.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*nekʷ-
“to harm, kill”
Latin
Latin
nox
“harm, injury; also connected with wrongdoing and liability”
Latin
Latin
obnoxius
“subject to harm, liable, under obligation; servile”
Middle English
English
obnoxious
“liable to punishment or harm; offensive, odious”
Modern English
English
obnoxious
“extremely unpleasant or offensive”
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