inconvenience

1 of 2

noun

in·​con·​ve·​nience ˌin-kən-ˈvē-nyən(t)s 

1

: something that is inconvenient

2

: the quality or state of being inconvenient

inconvenience

2 of 2

verb

in·​con·​ve·​nience ˌin-kən-ˈvē-nyən(t)s 

inconvenienced; inconveniencing

transitive verb

: to cause problems or trouble for : subject to inconvenience

sorry to inconvenience you

Synonyms

Noun

• aggravation
• aggro [British]
• annoyance
• bother
• botheration
• bugbear
• exasperation
• frustration
• hair shirt
• hassle
• headache
• irk
• irritant
• nuisance
• peeve
• pest
• rub
• ruffle
• thorn
• trial
• vexation

Verb

• discommode
• disoblige
• disturb
• incommode
• put out
• trouble

Examples of inconvenience in a Sentence

Noun

Needham was sorry to see him go, for although his high-handedness … had caused some inconvenience, his intelligence and courage were of the first water. —Simon Winchester, The Man Who Loved China, 2008

Any wish or even longing I might have to see her produced no results; sometimes when she showed up it was actually inconvenient, but frustrated longing and inconvenience both ended the same way … —Jane Smiley, Good Faith, 2003

Jem knew as well as I that it was difficult to walk fast without stumping a toe, tripping on stones, and other inconveniences, and I was barefooted. —Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird, 1960

I hope this delay doesn't cause you any inconvenience.

Bridge repairs cannot be done without some inconvenience to the public.

Parking in the city can be a major inconvenience.

The delay was an inconvenience.

Verb

… I could count on one of my aunts to insist that she take me to some far-off corner of Nairobi to find the best bargains, no matter how long the trip took or how much it might inconvenience her. —Barack Obama, Dreams from My Father, (1995) 2004

Medieval manuscripts are turgid with abbreviations, which favor the copyist although they inconvenience the reader. —Walter J. Ong, Orality and Literacy, (1982) 2002

The work was inconvenienced by the time of year, there being only about three hours of natural light per day, but the pyroclastic spectacle made the darkness photogenic. —John McPhee, New Yorker, 22 Feb. 1988

I wouldn't want to inconvenience you.

We were inconvenienced by the bad weather.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

On Sunday, March 30, Sukiya apologized again for the inconvenience. —Gabrielle Rockson, People.com, 31 Mar. 2025

The number of matches Hinshelwood has already played would have been higher without the inconvenience of a knee injury, which ruled him out from the beginning of November until the end of January. —Andy Naylor, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025

Verb

His Majesty would like to send his apologies to all those who may be inconvenienced or disappointed as a result. —Stephanie Giang-Paunon, FOXNews.com, 27 Mar. 2025

Many users criticized the couple for expecting a stranger to inconvenience themselves. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 20 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English, misfortune, inconsistency, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin inconvenientia, from Latin inconvenient-, inconveniens

First Known Use

Noun

1534, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

circa 1656, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for inconvenience

• supervenience
• convenience

Kids Definition

inconvenience

1 of 2 noun

in·​con·​ve·​nience ˌin-kən-ˈvē-nyən(t)s 

1

: something that is inconvenient

2

: the quality or state of being inconvenient

inconvenience

2 of 2 verb

inconvenienced; inconveniencing

: to cause discomfort to : put to trouble

inconvenienced by the bad weather