unobtrusive

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English

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WOTD – 31 March 2023

Etymology

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PIE word
*h₁epi

From un- (prefix meaning ‘not’) +‎ obtrusive.[1]

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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unobtrusive (comparative more unobtrusive, superlative most unobtrusive)

  1. Not obtrusive; not blatant or noticeable; discreet, inconspicuous.
    Synonyms: inobtrusive, sedate
    Antonyms: conspicuous, indiscreet, obtrusive, prominent
    • 1743, [Edward Young], “Night the Fourth. The Christian Triumph.”, in The Complaint: Or, Night-Thoughts on Life, Death, and Immortality, London: […] R[obert] Dodsley, […], →OCLC, page 27:
      Ye Quietiſts, in Homage to the Skies! / Serene! of ſoft Addreſs! vvho mildly make / An unobtruſive Tender of your Hearts, / Abhorring Violence!
    • 1820, William Hazlitt, “Lecture I. Introductory.”, in Lectures Chiefly on the Dramatic Literature of the Age of Elizabeth. […], London: Stodart and Steuart, […]; Edinburgh: Bell and Bradfute, →OCLC, page 2:
      [T]hey were not the spoiled children of affectation and refinement, but a bold, vigorous, independent race of thinkers, with prodigious strength and energy, with none but natural grace, and heartfelt unobtrusive delicacy.
    • 1851 November 14, Herman Melville, “The Affidavit”, in Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLC, page 226:
      Like some poor devils ashore that happen to know an irascible great man, they make distant unobtrusive salutations to him in the street, lest if they pursued the acquaintance further, they might receive a summary thump for their presumption.
    • 2014 March 11, Jen Wong, “Exploring the mind in a bunker”, in The Guardian‎[1], London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2022-11-13:
      Behind an unobtrusive iron door in Dalston decorated with an ever-changing graffiti skin, lies a staircase leading down to a concrete bunker dating from the second world war.
    • 2019 June 23, Mack Hagood, “How a Bad Night’s Sleep Birthed the Sound Conditioner”, in The Atlantic‎[2], Washington, D.C.: The Atlantic Monthly Group, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-03-14:
      This unobtrusive device helps millions of Americans sleep and concentrate by hushing the world around them.
    • 2022 October 5, Cora Engelbrecht, Euan Ward, Oliver Whang, “Nobel Prize in Chemistry is awarded to 3 scientists for work ‘snapping molecules together’”, in The New York Times‎[3], New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-03-17:
      The 2022 Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded to three scientists whose work harnessed the power of molecular interaction and introduced new, unobtrusive ways of studying the natural world.

Derived terms

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Translations

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References

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  1. ^ “unobtrusive, adj.”, in OED Online Paid subscription required⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, December 2021; “unobtrusive, adj.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
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