different between atrocious vs obnoxious

English

Etymology

From Latin atr?x (“cruel, fierce, frightful”) +? -ious.

Pronunciation

• enPR: ?-tr??-sh?s
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /??t?????s/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /??t?o???s/
• Rhymes: -????s
• Hyphenation: a?tro?cious

Adjective

atrocious (comparative more atrocious, superlative most atrocious)

1. Frightful, evil, cruel, or monstrous.

2. Offensive or heinous.
3. Very bad; abominable, disgusting.

Derived terms

• atrociously
• atrociousness
• vomitrocious

Related terms

• atrocity

Translations

English

Alternative forms

• obnoctious (obsolete)

Etymology

From Latin obnoxi?sus (“hurtful, injurious, dangerous”), from obnoxius (“punishable; liable to danger”), from ob (“against; facing”) + noxia (“hurt, injury, damage”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?b?n?k??s/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /?b?n?k??s/

Adjective

obnoxious (comparative more obnoxious, superlative most obnoxious)

1. Extremely unpleasant or offensive; very annoying, odious or contemptible.

2. (archaic) Exposing to harm or injury.
   • 1661, Robert Boyle, The Sceptical Chymist, page 26,

     To begin then with his Experiment of the burning Wood, it seems to me to be obnoxious to not a few considerable Exceptions.

Synonyms

• annoying    [WS]
• unpleasant    [WS]

Related terms

Translations

Further reading

• Douglas Harper (2001–2021) , “obnoxious”, in Online Etymology Dictionary