Obtrusion

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An unwelcome or intrusive entry into a space or situation where one is not wanted or invited
2. An intrusion characterized by the imposition upon a specific space or circumstance where such presence is considered disruptive or uninvited
3. An act of unwelcome interference or encroachment into a place or situation where it is not desired

Etymology: "Obtrusion" grows from a physical verb. Latin "obtrudere" combined "ob-", meaning against or toward, with "trudere", to thrust or push, so the original sense was pushing something forward or onto a place. English "obtrude" kept that literal force for a time before it came to mean forcing oneself or one's opinions on people who have not asked for them. The noun followed the same shift, from a shove to an unwelcome presence. The same root lies behind "intrude", "extrude", and "protrude", all of which carry the image of pushing into, out, or through. "Protrude" still describes something physically sticking out, but "obtrusion" has kept mainly the social sense, so the original thrust survives chiefly as the feeling of something pressing itself upon a space.

Synonyms: intrusion, interference

Antonyms: removal, exclusion