objectionable

Etymology

It is formed from English objection + -able;^[2][3][4][5] the OED compares the rarer objectable.^[2] Objection is from Old French objeccion (“reply, retort”) and directly from Late Latin obiectio (“a throwing or putting before”), a noun of action from obiciō (“to oppose”).^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Open to objection, that may be argued against or taken exception to: 1653, in a work by John Goodwin.^[2][6] Merriam-Webster dates the word to 1741,^[7] Etymonline to 1779,^[3] and Dictionary.com to 1775–85.^[5]

Semantic evolution

In its first uses the word was close to the reasoning sense of objection, of a statement or proposal that could be argued against; later it came to mean causing disapproval or dislike, and so disagreeable or offensive.^[2][6] Etymonline's 1779 sense, "justly liable to objection, calling for disapproval", stands between the two.^[3] The Shorter Oxford dates the adjective in the general sense "unpleasant, offensive" to the mid-18th century.^[4] From 1836 the word was also a noun, an objectionable person or thing, often in the plural;^[2][6] the Shorter Oxford calls this use rare.^[4]

Timeline

• 1653 – open to objection; that may be argued against.^[2][6] Merriam-Webster's first date is 1741, Etymonline's 1779.^[7][3]
• mid 18th century – unpleasant, offensive, disapproved of.^[4]
• 1836 – noun, an objectionable person or thing, often in the plural.^[2][6]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Causing disapproval or dislike; unpleasant or offensive: The neighbours complained about the objectionable smell from the yard.^[7][4][2]
2. Open to objection; that can be argued against or taken exception to.^[2][4]

Noun

1. An objectionable person or thing.^[7][2][4]

Word family

• objectionability
• objectionably
• objectionableness

Related words

• object
• objection
• objectable
• unobjectionable

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c d e f g Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
5. ^ a b Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
6. ^ a b c d e Kay, Christian; Roberts, Jane; Samuels, Michael; Wotherspoon, Irené, eds. (2009), Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford: Oxford University Press; online edition (2024)
7. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster