How to Use obstreperous in a Sentence
obstreperous
adjective-
Robby was the younger brother: the wayward one, the obstreperous one.
—Tobi Haslett, The New York Review of Books, 22 Dec. 2022
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The United States is a big country, full of obstreperous citizens who claim, or would like to claim, a broad array of rights that can’t all be recognized.
—Kelefa Sanneh, The New Yorker, 24 May 2021
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In fact, of course, refusing to seat the obstreperous loudmouth Jordan, in particular, has been a saving grace.
—Margaret Sullivan, Washington Post, 6 July 2022
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Chang’s wry, obstreperous ghosts are porous, leaky beings; everyone gets very wet.
—Nell Stevens, The New Yorker, 15 Oct. 2022
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There is nothing more unfair to the board and the attending owners than when one or more owners hijack a meeting with obstreperous behavior.
—Kelly G. Richardson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 July 2022
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There is nothing more unfair to the board and the attending owners than when one or more owners hijack a meeting with obstreperous behavior.
—Kelly G. Richardson, Orange County Register, 25 Jan. 2017
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Implicit in obstreperous is the idea that the control is justified and the threat minimal – its tone is patronizing.
—Melissa Mohr, The Christian Science Monitor, 21 June 2021
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Many Democrats came to view Mr. Nader as an obstreperous, self-aggrandizing spoiler.
—Nicholas Confessore, New York Times, 9 June 2016
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Stuff like making sure the site doesn't crash, and coaxing obstreperous commenters into better behavior?
—Sean Carroll, Discover Magazine, 26 June 2012
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Herein are strategies Trump’s handlers have already used to appease, distract, and cajole their obstreperous charge.
—Katy Waldman, Slate Magazine, 18 May 2017
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One or tow of the most obstreperous were summarily ejected by the sergeant-at-arms, who, flushed with official pride, strode up and down the aisles, stopping once in a while to bring to time some youngster who showed signs of becoming too boisterous.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Nov. 2022
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This is preceded by a collapse of faith in the usual clockwork that makes free societies tick, including an obstreperous press and codified tenets of justice.
—Steve Erickson, Los Angeles Magazine, 16 May 2018
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Lifting weights is nothing compared to wrestling those obstreperous facial muscles during a meeting.
—Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2021
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Prepare to see Republicans get a lot quieter and more cooperative, and the obstreperous forces on the left to get angrier and more intransigent.
—Megan McArdle, The Denver Post, 4 Apr. 2017
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During the Trump era, one of the best running jokes was the media’s near-desperate search for signs that the president was shedding his obstreperous tendencies and settling into a new, earnestly presidential tone.
—Jason Linkins, The New Republic, 3 Dec. 2022
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Then Trump suffered what looked like a serious setback from his obstreperous performance in his 60 Minutes interview with Lesley Stahl.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 29 Oct. 2020
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The bluesman, perhaps seeing the desperation in the young promoter’s face, or maybe just obstreperous after having one too many, demanded payment.
—oregonlive, 11 June 2020
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Next, the president should direct the Department of Justice to stop its obstreperous Olmstead litigation.
—John Hirschauer, National Review, 6 Aug. 2019
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Denise Fasanello, a New York florist, interprets topiary even more loosely, winding button ferns or creeping fig around a round, metal armature to create a leafy, obstreperous ball.
—Cynthia Kling, WSJ, 12 Oct. 2018
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Both have a knack for navigating India’s obstreperous courts and bureaucracy.
—The Economist, 27 Mar. 2021
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Teddy Roosevelt never did, and carried on blithely bully-pulpiting, to ebulliently divisive and obstreperous effect, for a decade after leaving the White House.
—Jeet Heer, New Republic, 13 Sep. 2017
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The elder Prescott hopes Teddy will soak up some practical business experience, but Ruthie offers his services to the Parlonis, obstreperous retirees whose personal assistants seem to come and go through a revolving door.
—Washington Post, 30 Apr. 2021
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Numerous leaks in recent days claim the President is at odds with most of his senior team, allegedly deliberately countermanding their best advice like an obstreperous toddler.
—Kate Maltby, CNN, 5 June 2017
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While the trial court's frustration with an obstreperous defendant is understandable, the judge's disproportionate response is not.
—CBS News, 8 Mar. 2018
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While the trial court’s frustration with an obstreperous defendant is understandable, the judge’s disproportionate response is not.
—Ashley May, USA TODAY, 7 Mar. 2018
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The latter result suggests that years of propaganda have had an effect: Republicans have successfully cast teachers’ unions as obstreperous, greedy forces bent on radicalizing children in the classroom.
—Sarah Jones, The New Republic, 4 Apr. 2018
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European countries that might once have been willing to extend some goodwill toward following U.S. requests are becoming increasingly obstreperous, frustrated by what leaders see as Trump’s go-it-alone approach.
—Loveday Morris, Washington Post, 14 Feb. 2020
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Ryan faces a serious mutiny on his right flank, which the president* complicated on Wednesday by offering a sweetener to obstreperous congressional conservatives.
—Charles P. Pierce, Esquire, 9 Mar. 2017
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Investigative journalists have long met with obstreperous and sometimes threatening subjects.
—James Rainey and Brittny Mejia, Anchorage Daily News, 11 Sep. 2022
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On one side are those who want to crack down on peaceful if obstreperous protesters, on women’s reproductive rights and on journalistic freedom while limiting minority voting rights and promoting religious conformity.
—Eric Zorn, chicagotribune.com, 1 June 2021
Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'obstreperous.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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