nuisance
nounUK /ˈnjuː.səns/ · US /ˈnuː.səns/
Etymology From Middle English noysaunce, from Anglo-Norman nusaunce, nussance and Old French nuisance, from nuisir (“to harm”), from Latin nocēre. Doublet of nocence and nocency.
1
A minor annoyance or inconvenience.
- The neighbor's dog barking throughout the night is a right nuisance - I'm going to complain.
- What a nuisance to have to go now!
1 more example
- By itself, nondifferentiability at zero is a minor nuisance.2010, Jeffrey M. Wooldridge, Econometric Analysis of Cross Section and Panel Data, 2nd edition, The MIT Press, page 407:
2
A person or thing causing annoyance or inconvenience.
- You can be such a nuisance when you don't get your way.
- With Vardy working tirelessly up front, chasing lost causes and generally making a nuisance of himself, Sevilla were never allowed to settle on a night when the atmosphere was electric inside the King Power Stadium.2017 March 14, Stuart James, “Leicester stun Sevilla to reach last eight after Kasper Schmeichel save”, in the Guardian:
3
Law Anything harmful or offensive to the community or to a member of it, for which a legal remedy exists.
- a public nuisance
- Synonyms
- annoyance, inconvenience, offense, bother, obstacle, pest, faff, grievance, hassle, irritation, nuisance, palaver, peeve, plague, trouble, vexation
- Antonyms
- enjoyment
- Derived terms
- antinuisance, attractive nuisance, make a nuisance of oneself, nuisance call, nuisance caller, nuisance candidate, nuisance fee, nuisance ground, nuisanceless, nuisance parameter, nuisancer, nuisance tax
- Related terms
- bugbear, headache, irritant, mischief, nag, pain, pain in the butt, pain in the neck, pain in the rear, pain in the ass, pain in the arse, pain in the bum, pest, problem child, annoy, annoyed, annoying