obstreperous
pronunciation
How to pronounce obstreperous in British English:
UK [əbˈstrepərəs]
How to pronounce obstreperous in American English:
US [ɑbˈstrɛpərəs, əb-]
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- Adjective:
- noisily and stubbornly defiant
- boisterously and noisily aggressive
Word Origin
- obstreperous (adj.)
- c. 1600, from Latin obstreperus "clamorous," from obstrepere "drown with noise, make a noise against, oppose noisily," from ob "against" (see ob-) + strepere "make a noise," from PIE *strep-, said to be imitative (compare Latin stertare "to snore," Old Norse þrapt "chattering," Old English þræft "quarrel"). Related: Obstreperously; obstreperousness.
Example
- 1. From one perspective , it is hard to see why finland is being so obstreperous .
- 2. Building on dry land is difficult too : suitable sites are rare , and britain 's planning system hands obstreperous local residents a lot of power .
- 3. If the obstreperous greeks recently got a softening of their bail-out terms ( in essence a partial debt write-off ) to avert the threat of " grexit " from the euro , surely the irish deserve help to secure their exit from the bail-out and return to markets on schedule at the end of the year .
- 4. The one-time leader is also enjoying his elevation to the house of lords , completing his long odyssey from obstreperous enfant terrible to affable statesman .