noisome

  • 1Noisome — Noi some, a. [For noysome, fr. noy for annoy. See {Annoy}.] 1. Noxious to health; hurtful; mischievous; unwholesome; insalubrious; destructive; as, noisome effluvia. Noisome pestilence. Ps. xci. 3. [1913 Webster] 2. Offensive to the smell or… …

    The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • 2noisome — index deleterious, detrimental, fatal, harmful, harsh, heinous, insalubrious, malignant, noxious …

    Law dictionary

  • 3noisome — (adj.) late 14c., harmful, noxious, from noye harm, misfortune, shortened form of anoi annoyance (from O.Fr. anoier, see ANNOY (Cf. annoy)) + SOME (Cf. some). Meaning bad smelling first recorded 1570s. Related: Noisomeness …

    Etymology dictionary

  • 4noisome — fetid, stinking, *malodorous, putrid, rank, rancid, fusty, musty Analogous words: foul, nasty, squalid, filthy, *dirty: noxious, baneful, *pernicious, deleterious: loathsome, *offensive, revolting Antonyms: balmy Contrasted words: *odorous,… …

    New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • 5noisome — means ‘harmful, noxious’ and has nothing to do with the word noise. It comes from a Middle English word nay, related to annoy …

    Modern English usage

  • 6noisome — [adj] immoral, bad, offensive baneful, dangerous, deadly, deleterious, disgusting, fetid, foul, harmful, horrid, hurtful, injurious, insalubrious, insalutary, loathsome, malodorous, mephitic, mischievous, nauseating, noxious, pernicious,… …

    New thesaurus

  • 7noisome — ► ADJECTIVE literary 1) having an extremely offensive smell. 2) disagreeable; unpleasant. ORIGIN from obsolete noy (shortened form of ANNOY(Cf. ↑annoying)) …

    English terms dictionary

  • 8noisome — [noi′səm] adj. [ME noyesum < noy, aphetic < anoy < OFr anoi: see ANNOY & SOME1] 1. injurious to health; harmful 2. having a bad odor; foul smelling noisomely adv. noisomeness n …

    English World dictionary

  • 9noisome — [[t]nɔ͟ɪsəm[/t]] ADJ GRADED: usu ADJ n If you describe something or someone as noisome, you mean that you find them extremely unpleasant. [LITERARY] Noisome vapours arise from the mud left in the docks... His noisome reputation for corruption had …

    English dictionary

  • 10noisome — adjective Etymology: Middle English noysome, from noy annoyance, alteration of anoi, from Anglo French anui, from anuier to harass, annoy more at annoy Date: 14th century 1. noxious, harmful 2. a. offensive to the senses and especially to the… …

    New Collegiate Dictionary