objectionableness

objectionableness — noun

1. The quality of being so wrong or unpleasant that people want to speak against it

1.nounC2
Definition

The quality of being so wrong or unpleasant that people want to speak against it or stop it.

Example

Vikram was surprised by the objectionableness of the advert that made fun of recent flood victims.

objectionableness of + [media/content] + that-clause naming the offence

Nora spoke about the objectionableness of charging families to use the village's only water pump.

formal register: objectionableness of + [gerund phrase]

Common collocations
  • the objectionableness of [something]
  • find the objectionableness of [something] [adjective]
  • despite its objectionableness
Synonyms
  • offensiveness

    focuses more on causing personal hurt or insult rather than principled objection

  • unacceptability

    emphasises falling below a required standard, not necessarily an emotional reaction

  • distastefulness

    milder; suggests poor taste or vulgarity rather than moral wrongness

Antonyms

Usage Note

Used almost exclusively in formal writing. In everyday speech, people tend to rephrase — for example, 'how objectionable it was' rather than 'its objectionableness.'

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Objectionableness describes someone or something that makes people want to actively speak out or protest — it goes beyond private dislike. Offensiveness centres on causing personal hurt or insult; something can be offensive without prompting formal objection. Unacceptability is cooler and more procedural: it marks something as falling below a standard, often in institutional contexts. Distastefulness is the mildest, pointing to poor taste or vulgarity rather than moral weight. A rude joke at a party may be merely distasteful, while a policy that excludes certain groups is objectionable — and the quality that makes the policy worth challenging is its objectionableness.

offensiveness ↗unacceptabilitydistastefulness ↗

Common collocations

Phrases

  • the objectionableness of [something]
  • despite its objectionableness

Prepositions

  • objectionableness of

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

Formed from objectionable (itself from objection + -able) with the suffix -ness, which turns adjectives into nouns naming the quality. Objection traces back through Old French to Latin obicere, meaning 'to throw against' or 'to put in the way.' The word shifted from the physical act of placing something in opposition to the abstract idea of raising a verbal challenge. Objectionable appeared in the 18th century for things worthy of objection, and objectionableness followed as the abstract noun naming that quality.

First known use

1741

1741, in the meaning defined above