nuisance

A minor annoyance or inconvenience.

Noun

  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!
    • 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. -...
  3. Anything harmful or offensive to the community or to a member of it, for which a legal remedy exists.
    • a public nuisance

Origin

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.

Forms

nuisances

Synonyms

annoyance inconvenience offense bother obstacle pest faff grievance hassle irritation nuisance palaver peeve plague trouble vexation

Antonyms

enjoyment

Related

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

Derived

antinuisance attractive nuisance make a nuisance of oneself nuisance call nuisance caller nuisance candidate nuisance fee nuisance ground nuisanceless nuisance parameter nuisancer nuisance tax