unobtrusiveadj.
/(ˌ)ʌnəbˈtruːsɪv/, U.S. /ˌənəbˈtrusɪv/ Not obtrusive; inconspicuous; discreet.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > humility > modesty > [adjective] > unobtrusive
unobtrusive1743
inobtrusive1796
unintruding1796
discreet1878
low-profile1988
1743 E. Young Complaint: Night the Fourth 36 Ye Quietists,..Who mildly make An unobtrusive Tender of your Hearts.
1791 H. More Estimate Relig. Fashionable World 131 Those secret habits of self-controul, those interior and unobtrusive virtues.
1829 J. Mackintosh in Keepsake 247 His manner was simple and unobtrusive, his language always quite familiar.
1890 ‘L. Falconer’ Mademoiselle Ixe vi Captain Leslie kept unobtrusive, but attentive watch.
1938 W. Watson Miss Pettigrew lives for Day xii. 173 Miss LaFosse did a little unobtrusive manœuvring.
1977 J. I. M. Stewart Madonna of Astrolabe xxi. 293 I shall..ask that a discreet and unobtrusive guard be at once mounted over the picture.
2012 Herald-Times (Bloomington, Indiana) 2 Mar. d5/4 Facebook's challenge will be to keep these ads as unobtrusive as possible.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2014; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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adj.1743