meddlesome

[ med-l-suhm ]

adjective

1. given to meddling; interfering; intrusive.

meddlesome

/ ˈmɛdəlsəm /

adjective

1. intrusive or meddling

Derived Forms

• ˈmeddlesomely, adverb
• ˈmeddlesomeness, noun

Other Words From

• meddle·some·ly adverb
• meddle·some·ness noun
• un·meddle·some adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of meddlesome¹

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

Synonym Study

See curious.

Example Sentences

As former Labor Secretary Robert Reich cautions, the reflexive anti-antisemitism of meddlesome university donors, “many of them Jewish, many from Wall Street, could fuel the very antisemitism they claim to oppose, based on the age-old stereotype of wealthy Jewish bankers controlling the world.”

From Salon

Will no one rid us of these meddlesome prosecutors?

From Salon

Since then, other candidates have pursued similarly meddlesome strategies.

From Los Angeles Times

The dessert carts arrived, and she loaded up with more food than she could fit in her stomach—a dynamite dulce pot to eat before it detonated, giggly gulab jamun, ridiculous rum cakes doing stunts, and meddlesome mochis trying to wiggle their way into your satchels and pockets.

From Literature

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

Related Words

• intrusive
• meddling
• nosy
• pushy