We have been hosting two granddaughters over the past week as they are taking swimming lessons. At certain times of the day they are most obstreperous. It is draining on us but quite exciting for them until suddenly one of them starts crying.
Obstreperous means marked by unruly or aggressive noisiness. Obstreperous has been used in the English language since the 1600s. I’m not sure in which situation it was first used but I imagine it was either in an English pub or a large family setting.
Obstreperous is derived from a combination of Latin words. The prefix ‘ob’ meaning against was added to the verb ‘strepere’ meaning to make a noise. Someone who is obstreperous is literally making a noise to rebel against something.
The Latin word ‘strepere’ lead to one other English word, strepitous, meaning characterized or accompanied by much noise. It can be hard to sleep in the city centre during New Year’s Eve because of the strepitous racket in the streets.
Vociferous, clamorous, blatant, strident, boisterous, and obstreperous mean so loud or insistent as to compel attention.
Vociferous implies a vehement shouting or calling out. When the election results were announced at the rally there were vociferous cries of protest and outrage because of the short time given for voting.
Clamorous means insistency and hollering in demanding or protesting. At the inmates monthly meeting there were clamorous demands for prison reforms, which included the food service.
Blatant suggests an offensive bellowing or insensitive loudness. Children of Generation X will often complain of the blatant rock music their parents favour. Once the party lost control of the house there was a blatant clamor for impeachment.
Strident indicates harsh and discordant noise. Walking around the nature park is usually serene until the strident cries of crows disturb the peace.
Boisterous implies noisiness and turbulence due to high spirits. After the Rider win a boisterous crowd of fans spilled onto the streets in Regina.
Obstreperous alludes to unruly and aggressive noisiness resistant to restraint. As the protest parade grew larger and uncontrollable the obstreperous demonstrators were arrested.
Sometimes when the granddaughters visit we also look after Diggs, the dog. He often sits on the love seat in the living room and looks out the large windows. From there he patrols the local activity and is prone to bark at all dogs, most people, and even imaginary predators. We think he is being protective. It would do us little good to say, “Diggs, quit being so obstreperous!” He rarely pays attention to, “NO!”
Obstreperous can also mean stubbornly resistant to control. Obstreperous has much more panache than words like stubborn or unruly. Obstreperous is unlikely to be used in casual speech, contexts with animals, or children and boisterous adults. However, obstreperous can punch up your writing, especially when describing any rowdy behaviour or an unruly child. Hollering the phrase ‘quit being so obstreperous' might be a way of getting the attention of anyone out of control or causing a ruckus, but they may not have any idea what you are talking about.
Columnist John Kreutzwieser loves to research words and writes this weekly Word Wisdom column for Moose Jaw Express/MooseJawToday.com. He has an interest in the usage, origin, and relevance of words for society today. Greek and Latin form the basis of many words, with ancient Hebrew shedding light on word usage.
John would like to know if anyone has a sincere interest in a relevant word that he could possibly research for an upcoming column. If so, please send your requests to [email protected] . Words will be selected according to relevance and research criteria. We cannot confirm that all words will be used.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication.
