Wiktionary

nuisance

English

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Etymology

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From Middle English noysaunce, from Anglo-Norman nusaunce, nussance and Old French nuisance, from nuisir (“to harm”), from Latin nocēre.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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nuisance (countable and uncountable, plural nuisances)

  1. A minor annoyance or inconvenience.
    The neighbor's dog barking throughout the night is a right nuisance - I'm going to complain.
    • 2010, Jeffrey M. Wooldridge, Econometric Analysis of Cross Section and Panel Data, 2nd edition, The MIT Press, page 407:
      By itself, nondifferentiability at zero is a minor nuisance.
  2. A person or thing causing annoyance or inconvenience.
    You can be such a nuisance when you don't get your way.
    • 2017 March 14, Stuart James, “Leicester stun Sevilla to reach last eight after Kasper Schmeichel save”, in the Guardian‎[1]:
      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. (law) Anything harmful or offensive to the community or to a member of it, for which a legal remedy exists.
    a public nuisance

Synonyms

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Antonyms

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  • (antonym(s) of “minor annoyance or inconvenience”): enjoyment

Derived terms

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Descendants

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  • → Welsh: niwsans

Translations

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References

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French

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Etymology

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Inherited from Old French nuisance, from nuisir (“to harm”) (compare also French nuire), from Latin nocēre; may correspond to Late Latin nocentia.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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nuisance f (plural nuisances)

  1. nuisance
  2. pollution
    Les nuisances sonores sont un véritable fléau dans ce quartier.
    Noise pollution is a real scourge in this neighbourhood.
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Further reading

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