Tell me more ×
English Language & Usage Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for linguists, etymologists, and serious English language enthusiasts. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote 2 down vote favorite

Is there a single word describing someone who is impossible to live with because of their bad manners?

Such as in the example:

'John, my housemate, has terrible manners; he's an awful person and impossible to live with.'

I thought about using the words 'unlivable person' but that sounds a bit strange to me and it's not a single word.

share|improve this question

3 Answers

up vote 4 down vote accepted

A person who is hard to put up with may be described as insufferable. A person who lacks graceful behaviour or acceptable/pleasing social skills is uncouth.

share|improve this answer
1  
I think this is too broad. You can be insufferable for many different reasons, including being overly meticulous. – onomatomaniak Oct 22 '11 at 8:29
@ onomatomaniak: I've stated that the word refers to someone who is "hard to live with". Going by the italicized part of OP's question, it appears to me he is looking for a concise way to express impossible to live with. – Autoresponder Oct 22 '11 at 9:13
That's fair. I'm not saying it's an inapplicable word; in fact, it's quite a good one. I'm just saying it has a meaning that's broader than "impossible to live with because of bad manners". – onomatomaniak Oct 22 '11 at 9:16
@onomatomaniak Huh? What a strange objection. Almost every word you can think of (except for precisely defined technical jargon) is “broad”. The context narrows the meaning. That’s how language works! – Pitarou Feb 26 '12 at 3:47
up vote 1 down vote

A great word for a habitually messy person is a sloven.

share|improve this answer
up vote 1 down vote

I'm fond of untoward

: difficult to guide, manage, or work with

and intractable

: not easily governed, managed, or directed

share|improve this answer

Your Answer

 
discard

By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.