unobtrusive
Syllables: un·ob·trus·iveUK/(ˌ)ʌnəbˈtɹuːsɪv//ˌʌnəbˈtɹusɪv/
unobtrusive adjective: not obtrusive; not blatant or noticeable; discreet, inconspicuous.
Adjective
unobtrusive (comparative more unobtrusive, superlative most unobtrusive)
- Not obtrusive; not blatant or noticeable; discreet, inconspicuous.
- Ye Quietiſts, in Homage to the Skies! / Serene! of ſoft Addreſs! vvho mildly make / An unobtruſive Tender of your Hearts, / Abhorring Violence!1743, [Edward Young], “Night the Fourth. The Christian Triumph.”, in The Complaint: Or, Night-Thoughts on Life, Death, and Immortality, London: […] R[obert] Dodsley, […]; [a]nd sold by M[ary] Cooper...
- [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.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...
- Synonyms:
- inobtrusive, sedate, discreet, improminent, inconspicuous, inevident, low-profile, noteless, obscure, unconspicuous
- Antonyms:
- conspicuous, indiscreet, obtrusive, prominent
unobtrusive meaning in Tamil, Urdu, Malayalam and Kannada
unobtrusive in Tamil
- ஈர்ப்பிலா
unobtrusive in Urdu
- چپ چاپ, خاموش, شرمیلا
unobtrusive in Malayalam
- unassuming, self-effacing, retiring
- വെളിച്ചപ്പെടാത്ത, ശ്രദ്ധാകേന്ദ്രമാകാൻ ശ്രമിക്കാത്ത, വളരെ എളിമയുള്ള, പിൻവലിയുന്ന, വലിപ്പം കാട്ടാത്ത, പ്രശാന്ത
- unnoticeable, inconspicuous, low-key
- പ്രകടമല്ലാത്ത, ശ്രദ്ധയിൽ പെടാത്ത, വേർതിരിച്ചറിയാൻ അസാദ്ധ്യമായ, ശ്രദ്ധയിൽപെടാത്ത, ശ്രദ്ധേയമാകാത്ത, ലളിതമായ
unobtrusive in Kannada
- ತಲೆಹಾಕದ, ತಾನಾಗಿ ಮುನ್ನುಗ್ಗದ, ಮೂಗು ಹಾಯಿಸದ
Examples of unobtrusive in a sentence
- 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.2014 March 11, Jen Wong, “Exploring the mind in a bunker”, in The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the...
- This unobtrusive device helps millions of Americans sleep and concentrate by hushing the world around them.2019 June 23, Mack Hagood, “How a Bad Night’s Sleep Birthed the Sound Conditioner”, in The Atlantic, Washington, D.C.: The Atlantic Monthly...
- 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.2022 October 5, Cora Engelbrecht, Euan Ward, Oliver Whang, “Nobel Prize in Chemistry is awarded to 3 scientists for work ‘snapping...
Synonyms of unobtrusive
- inobtrusive
- sedate
- discreet
- improminent
- inconspicuous
- inevident
- low-profile
- obscure
- unevident
- noteless
1 more synonymsFewer synonyms
Antonyms
Forms of unobtrusive
| comparative | more unobtrusive |
|---|---|
| superlative | most unobtrusive |
Origin of unobtrusive
From un- (prefix meaning ‘not’) + obtrusive.
Words formed from unobtrusive
Questions about unobtrusive
- What does unobtrusive mean?
- Unobtrusive means not obtrusive; not blatant or noticeable; discreet, inconspicuous.
- What is unobtrusive in Tamil?
- Unobtrusive in Tamil is ஈர்ப்பிலா. See Unobtrusive meaning in Tamil.
- How do you use unobtrusive in a sentence?
- 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.
- What part of speech is unobtrusive?
- Unobtrusive is an adjective.
- How do you pronounce unobtrusive?
- Unobtrusive is pronounced /(ˌ)ʌnəbˈtɹuːsɪv/ (UK).
Words near unobtrusive in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: unobtrusive (page history and authors); unobtrusive (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors); unobtrusive (Urdu Wiktionary) (page history and authors); unobtrusive (Olam, E.K. Kurup corpus) (dataset and license); unobtrusive (Kannada Wiktionary) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: En-us-unobtrusive.oga.
Cite this entry: “unobtrusive.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/unobtrusive. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.