Adjacent Words

Nuisance definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

NU'ISANCE, n. [L. to annoy. Blackstone writes nusance, and it is desirable that his example may be followed.]
1. That which annoys or gives trouble and vexation; that which is offensive or noxious. A liar is a nusance to society.
2. In law, that which incommodes or annoys; something that produces inconvenience or damage. Nusances are public or private; public, when they annoy citizens in general, as obstructions of the highway; private, when they affect individuals only, as when one man erects a house so near his neighbor's as to throw the water off the roof upon his neighbor's land or house, or to intercept the light that his neighbor before enjoyed.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: (law) a broad legal concept including anything that disturbs the reasonable use of your property or endangers life and health or is offensive
2: a bothersome annoying person; "that kid is a terrible pain" [syn: pain, pain in the neck, nuisance]

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: Middle English nusaunce, noisaunce, from Anglo-French, from nuisir, nuire to harm, from Latin noc?re — more at noxious Date: 15th century 1. harm, injury 2. one that is annoying, unpleasant, or obnoxious ; pest

Britannica Concise

In law, an act, object, or practice that interferes with another's rights or interests by being offensive, annoying, dangerous, obstructive, or unhealthful. Such activities as obstructing a public road, polluting air and water, operating a house of prostitution, or keeping explosives are public nuisances and constitute criminal violations. A private nuisance is an activity or condition (e.g., excessive noise, disagreeable odor) that interferes with the use and enjoyment of one's property and that may be a cause of action in civil litigation. An attractive nuisance is something on one's property that poses a risk to children or others who may be attracted to it.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. 1 a person, thing, or circumstance causing trouble or annoyance. 2 anything harmful or offensive to the community or a member of it and for which a legal remedy exists. Phrases and idioms: nuisance value an advantage resulting from the capacity to harass or frustrate. Etymology: ME f. OF, = hurt, f. nuire nuis- f. L nocere to hurt

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Nuisance Nui"sance, n. [OE. noisance, OF. noisance, nuisance, fr. L. nocentia guilt, fr. nocere to hurt, harm; akin to necare to kill. Cf Necromancy, Nocent, Noxious, Pernicious.] That which annoys or gives trouble and vexation; that which is offensive or noxious. Note: Nuisances are public when they annoy citizens in general; private, when they affect individuals only.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(nuisances) If you say that someone or something is a nuisance, you mean that they annoy you or cause you a lot of problems. He could be a bit of a nuisance when he was drunk... Sorry to be a nuisance. = pain N-COUNT: usu sing • If someone makes a nuisance of themselves, they behave in a way that annoys other people. He spent three days making an absolute nuisance of himself. PHRASE: V and N inflect

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. Annoyance, plague, bane, infliction, pest, bore.

Moby Thesaurus

aggravation, annoyance, ass, bad news, bedevilment, besetment, bore, bother, botheration, bothersomeness, burden, buttonholer, crashing bore, devilment, difficulty, dogging, downer, drag, drip, dryasdust, dusty, exasperation, flat tire, frightful bore, harassment, harrying, hassle, headache, hounding, humdrum, inconvenience, irritant, irritation, molestation, nag, ordeal, persecution, pest, pester, pesterer, pill, plague, problem, proser, tease, tormenter, tormentor, trial, trouble, twaddler, vexation, vexatiousness, wet blanket, worriment, worry