nuisance

nuisance — noun

1. a person, thing, or situation that troubles or irritates you, often because it c

1.nounB1
Definition

a person, thing, or situation that troubles or irritates you, often because it creates extra work or stops you from doing what you want

Example

The noise from the construction site became a real nuisance for everyone in the building.

collocation: real nuisance

Flies and mosquitoes are a terrible nuisance during the summer months near the lake.

countable noun: a nuisance

Common collocations
  • a real nuisance
  • a terrible nuisance
  • a complete nuisance
  • such a nuisance
  • become a nuisance
  • cause a nuisance
  • a nuisance to someone
  • a nuisance for someone
Synonyms
  • annoyance

    slightly weaker; a minor bother rather than an ongoing problem

  • inconvenience

    focuses on the extra effort or delay caused, not on irritation

  • pest

    informal and more personal; often used for people who are repeatedly bothersome

Antonyms
  • blessing

    something welcome and helpful, the opposite of a troublesome thing

Grammar Patterns

nuisance + to/for + noun phrase

Usage Note

Countable but most often used in the singular: 'a nuisance'. Frequently appears in the pattern 'It is a nuisance + when-clause / to-infinitive'.

Common Mistakes

The noise is nuisance.
The noise is a nuisance.
'nuisance' is a countable noun and needs an article.

2. behaviour that bothers other people in an ongoing or repeated way, especially wh

2.nounB2
Definition

behaviour that bothers other people in an ongoing or repeated way, especially when it could lead to a formal complaint or legal action

Example

A guest drank too much and made a nuisance of himself at the wedding reception.

fixed phrase: make a nuisance of + reflexive pronoun

Guests who make a nuisance of themselves will be asked to leave the hotel immediately.

Common collocations
  • make a nuisance of yourself
  • make a nuisance of oneself
  • public nuisance
Synonyms
  • cause trouble

    more general and less formal; does not carry the same legal implication

Grammar Patterns

make a nuisance of + reflexive pronoun

Usage Note

This sense is almost entirely restricted to the fixed expression 'make a nuisance of yourself / oneself'. The expression is often used in warnings, complaints, or written rules. Outside this phrase, the legal sense appears in the compound term 'public nuisance'.

Common Mistakes

He made a nuisance.
He made a nuisance of himself.
the reflexive pronoun is required in this expression.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe something that troubles you, but with different shades. 'Nuisance' (the strongest of the group) suggests an ongoing or repeated problem that disrupts your daily life — a barking dog, constant noise, lost paperwork. 'Annoyance' is milder and often about a single event: a phone call during dinner is an annoyance, not a nuisance. 'Inconvenience' focuses on the effort or delay caused, not the irritation: a train strike is an inconvenience if you find another route. 'Pest' is informal and targeted at people who pester you repeatedly, like a salesperson who keeps calling. 'Bother' is the gentlest and most general: 'Sorry for the bother' works for any small trouble. If the problem is persistent and irritating enough to complain about, 'nuisance' is the right word.

annoyance ↗inconvenience ↗pest ↗bother ↗

Common collocations

Phrases

  • a real nuisance
  • such a nuisance
  • make a nuisance of yourself

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

'Nuisance' entered English from Old French 'nuisance' (meaning harm or hurt), which came from Latin 'nocere' (to harm). Originally a legal term for injury or damage, it gradually broadened in everyday use to describe any annoying person, thing, or situation.