obstreperous

(ŏb-strĕp'ər-əs, əb-)
adj.

1. Noisily and stubbornly defiant.
2. Aggressively boisterous.

[From Latin obstreperus, noisy, from obstrepere, to make a noise against : ob-, against; see ob- + strepere, to make a noise (of imitative origin).]

obstreperously ob·strep'er·ous·ly adv.
obstreperousness ob·strep'er·ous·ness n.

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Noisily and stubbornly defiant.

Paul Krugman had March 21's top Alt-Clicked word. The column complains that the Wolfowitz nomination turns the World Bank into the Ugly American Bank."Venezuela's leader is the most obstreperous."

Link: The Ugly American Bank

See our Word Overheard blog to see interesting uses of strange words.

adjective

1. Not submitting to discipline or control: disorderly, fractious, indocile, intractable, lawless, obstinate, recalcitrant, refractory, uncontrollable, undisciplined, ungovernable, unmanageable, unruly, untoward, wild. Idioms: out of line. See control/uncontrol, order/disorder, peace/conflict, resist/yield.
2. Offensively loud and insistent: blatant, boisterous, clamorous, strident, vociferous. Informal loudmouthed. See sounds/pleasant sounds/unpleasant sounds/neutral sounds or silence.

adj

Definition: unruly
Antonyms: calm, quiet, restrained

IN BRIEF: Loud and hard to control.

Amid all the easily loved darlings of Charlie Brown's circle, obstreperous Lucy holds a special place in my heart. She fusses and fumes and she carps and complains. That's because Lucy cares. — Judith Crist, American film critic, from The Last Word - A Treasury of Women's Quotes, by Carolyn Warner, 1992.

Tutor's tip: This word was used in the 2006 Scripps National Spelling Bee finals.

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For a list of words related to obstreperous, see:

• Extroverted, Outgoing, Outspoken, or Dramatic
• Vulgar, Rude, Degenerate, or Wild

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See words rhyming with "obstreperous."

  See crossword solutions for the clue Obstreperous.

Dansk (Danish)
adj. - støjende, larmende, højrøstet, uregerlig

Nederlands (Dutch)
luidruchtig, woelig, rumoerig

Français (French)
adj. - tapageur, tumultueux

Deutsch (German)
adj. - widerspenstig, aufsässig

Ελληνική (Greek)
adj. - θορυβώδης, φωνακλάδικος, ατίθασος, απειθάρχητος

Italiano (Italian)
tumultuoso, assordante, chiassoso, turbolento, indisciplinato, ribelle

Português (Portuguese)
adj. - desordeiro

Русский (Russian)
буйный

Español (Spanish)
adj. - ruidoso, revoltoso, protestón

Svenska (Swedish)
adj. - skränig, bullrig

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
吵闹的, 乱闹的, 喧嚣的

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
adj. - 吵鬧的, 亂鬧的, 喧囂的

한국어 (Korean)
adj. - 소란한, 사납게 날뛰는

日本語 (Japanese)
adj. - 騒々しい, 手に負えない

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(صفه) جموح‏

עברית (Hebrew)
adj. - ‮מרעיש, מתפרע, חסר-רסן, קולני‬

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