Standard Lemma guide

obstreperous

adj · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /əbˈstɹɛp.əɹ.əs/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ɒbˈstɹɛp.əɹ.əs/
  • US: /əbˈstɹɛpəɹəs/
  • US: /ɑːbˈstɹɛpəɹəs/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: AH0 B S T R EH1 P ER0 AH0 S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Attended by, or making, a loud and tumultuous noise; boisterous.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: clamorous, loud, noisy, vociferous

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Stubbornly defiant; disobedient; resistant to authority or control (whether in a noisy manner or not).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: recalcitrant, uncooperative, unruly, adamant, ardent, grim, bent on, bloody-minded, bullheaded, certain, chronic, confirmed, determined, diehard, dogged, hard-hearted, hard-nosed, hardheaded, headstrong, immovable, incalcitrant, inflexible, irrefragable, insistent, intractable, intransigent, intrepid, inveterate, mulish, obdurate, obstinate, obstreperous, peevish, peremptory, persistent, pertinacious, pigheaded, refractory, resolute, resolved, rigid, self-willed, stalwart, staunch, steadfast, steady, stubborn, stubborn as a mule, sullen, tenacious, terminal, thran, thwart, tough, truculent, unbending, uncompromising, unyielding, vehement, wilful, willful

Antonyms: none provided

3

adjective satellite

Meaning 3

boisterously and noisily aggressive

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • kept up an obstreperous clamor

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adjective satellite

Meaning 4

noisily and stubbornly defiant

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • obstreperous boys

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h1ep-der. Proto-Indo-European *h1épsder. Proto-Indo-European *h1óp(i) Proto-Italic *op Latin ob Latin ob- Latin strepō Latin obstrepō Proto-Indo-European *-ós Proto-Indo-European *-ós Proto-Indo-European *-ós Proto-Indo-European *-ós Proto-Indo-European *-os Proto-Italic *-os Old Latin -os Latin -us Latin obstreperusbor. English obstreperous Borrowed from Latin obstreperus, first attested circa 17th c. Compare obstropulous.

Across languages

Translations

38 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: صاخب — attended by, or making a loud and tumultuous noise
  • Bulgarian: шумен (šumen) — attended by, or making a loud and tumultuous noise
  • Chinese Mandarin: 喧鬧的 (xuānnào de) — attended by, or making a loud and tumultuous noise
  • Chinese Mandarin: 吵鬧的 /吵闹的 (chǎonào de) — attended by, or making a loud and tumultuous noise
  • Dutch: luidruchtig — attended by, or making a loud and tumultuous noise
  • Finnish: rettelöivä — attended by, or making a loud and tumultuous noise
  • Finnish: meluisa — attended by, or making a loud and tumultuous noise
  • German: ungestüm — attended by, or making a loud and tumultuous noise
  • German: tumultartig — attended by, or making a loud and tumultuous noise
  • German: dröhnend — attended by, or making a loud and tumultuous noise
  • German: polternd — attended by, or making a loud and tumultuous noise
  • German: polterhaft — attended by, or making a loud and tumultuous noise
  • Polish: hałaśliwy — attended by, or making a loud and tumultuous noise
  • Portuguese: espalhafatoso — attended by, or making a loud and tumultuous noise
  • Ukrainian: галасливий (halaslyvyj) — attended by, or making a loud and tumultuous noise
  • Ukrainian: шумний (šumnyj) — attended by, or making a loud and tumultuous noise
  • Arabic: مُشَاكِس (mušākis) — stubbornly defiant
  • Bulgarian: буен (buen) — stubbornly defiant
  • Bulgarian: необуздан (neobuzdan) — stubbornly defiant
  • Chinese Mandarin: 頑抗的 /顽抗的 (wánkàng de) — stubbornly defiant
  • Chinese Mandarin: 桀驁不馴 /桀骜不驯 (jié'àobùxùn) — stubbornly defiant
  • Dutch: weerbarstig — stubbornly defiant
  • Finnish: uhmakas — stubbornly defiant
  • Finnish: kuriton — stubbornly defiant
  • Finnish: niskoitteleva — stubbornly defiant
  • French: récalcitrant — stubbornly defiant
  • German: aufsässig — stubbornly defiant
  • German: aufmüpfig — stubbornly defiant
  • German: ungebärdig — stubbornly defiant
  • German: widerspenstig — stubbornly defiant
  • German: renitent — stubbornly defiant
  • German: widerborstig — stubbornly defiant
  • Polish: hałaśliwy — stubbornly defiant
  • Polish: niesforny — stubbornly defiant
  • Polish: zaczepny — stubbornly defiant
  • Portuguese: recalcitrante — stubbornly defiant
  • Spanish: estrepitoso — stubbornly defiant
  • Swedish: oregerlig — stubbornly defiant