Word of the day: Obstreperous

Sometimes, the challenge in a situation does not arise from complexity but rather from the presence of noise and resistance. For example, consider a situation where one student in a class continues to make noise while the teacher tries to lecture. Such a behaviour, where there is too much disturbance or noise, and resistance can be described as obstreperous.The term is typically used to refer to people or situations characterised by noise and loud protest or defiance.Obstreperous describes someone noisy, difficult to manage, and resistant to control, often creating disturbance.The term obstreperous derives from obstreperus, a Latin word meaning either “noisy” or “clamorous.” This is a word that is rooted in obstrepere, an expression signifying “to make a noise” or “to protest noisily.”The English term was first introduced into the language during the seventeenth century to denote boisterousness or unruliness. Gradually, however, its meaning became extended to include those whose difficulty of control was due to unruliness and boisterousness.