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obstreperous

UK/əbˈstɹɛp.əɹ.əs/US/əbˈstɹɛpəɹəs/
adjectiveC2Very rare — outside the 30,000 commonest English words, so you will meet it in writing rather than in speechneutral

Obstreperous means noisy and difficult to control. An obstreperous crowd.

It is used of children and of drunks and carries a note of weary amusement. Obstreperous literally means making a noise against, which is exactly what it describes.

Definitions of obstreperous

  1. 1adjectiveobstreperousNoisy and difficult to control.C2

    “The obstreperous passenger was removed at the next station.”

obstreperous is a quality.

Where it comes from

Latin obstreperus, from ob, against, plus strepere, to make a noise.

  1. Latin

    obstreperus

  2. English, today

    obstreperous

Borrowed from Latin obstreperus. Borrowed from Latin obstreperus, first attested circa 17 Compare obstropulous.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

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