Definition

1. Noun:
   • A legal term for a condition, activity, or person that unreasonably interferes with a right shared by the general public. It is an act that is harmful or offensive to the community or neighborhood, not just to a single individual. This is the formal, legal meaning.
   • (Informal) A person whose behavior is a source of annoyance or inconvenience to many people. This is a more casual, non-legal use of the term.

Usage

• The term "common nuisance" is primarily used in legal contexts. In modern legal language, the term "public nuisance" is more commonly used and is synonymous.
• It describes something that affects the health, safety, morals, comfort, or convenience of the public.
• It is distinct from a "private nuisance," which interferes with an individual's use and enjoyment of their land.

Examples

• Noun (Legal):
  • The factory's constant noise and pollution were declared a common nuisance by the court.
  • Blocking a public highway is considered a common nuisance.
• Noun (Informal):
  • He's become a common nuisance in the office, constantly interrupting people with trivial matters.

Advanced Usage

• "To abate a common nuisance": This is a legal phrase meaning to remove, reduce, or put an end to a public nuisance.
  • The city council ordered the property owner to abate the common nuisance created by the abandoned building.

Variants and Related Words

• Public nuisance (n): The modern and more frequently used legal term for "common nuisance." They are interchangeable in legal contexts.
• Nuisance (n): A broader term for anything that is annoying, inconvenient, or causes trouble. It can be private or public.
• Private nuisance (n): A legal term for an act that interferes with an individual person's use and enjoyment of their land.

Synonyms

• Public menace
• Community hazard
• Annoyance (for the informal sense)

Related Idioms

• "A pain in the neck": An informal idiom for someone or something that is very annoying. This is similar to the informal sense of "common nuisance."
  • That repetitive construction noise is a real pain in the neck.

Noun

1. a nuisance that unreasonably interferes with a right that is common to the general public
   • a public nuisance offends the public at large