Synonyms

meddlesome

American

[med-l-suhm] / ˈmɛd l səm /

adjective

given to meddling; interfering; intrusive.

meddlesome British

/ ˈmɛdəlsəm /

adjective

intrusive or meddling

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Related Words

See curious.

Other Word Forms

meddlesomely adverb
meddlesomeness noun
unmeddlesome adjective

Etymology

Origin of meddlesome

First recorded in 1605–15; meddle + -some ¹

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

And as the tribunes who stir up the populace’s antipathy toward Coriolanus, William DeMeritt and Zuzanna Szadkowski are bland, seemingly unwilling to decide whether their characters are nefarious or just mildly meddlesome.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 14, 2026

Since then, other candidates have pursued similarly meddlesome strategies.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 7, 2024

Artificial intelligence can paint meddlesome monkeys, speak in the basso profundo of James Earl Jones and play a tune to suit a hall of mirrors.

From New York Times • Oct. 31, 2023

Curses, shape-shifters and meddlesome gods abound in “Drinking From Graveyard Wells” by Yvette Lisa Ndlovu, a searing collection of stories about Black women in tough situations.

From Washington Post • Mar. 7, 2023

The help tended to be officious, the rules, if heeded, restrictive, and the management meddlesome.

From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023