meddlesome

English

Etymology

From meddle +‎ -some.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmɛdəlsəm/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Adjective

meddlesome (comparative more meddlesome, superlative most meddlesome)

1. Characterised or marked by meddling; inclined or having a tendency to meddle or interfere in other people's business.

   If those meddlesome kids hadn't turned me in, I'd have gotten away with my nefarious scheme!

   • 1953 June, Cecil J. Allen, “British Locomotive Practice and Performance”, in Railway Magazine, page 395:

     As this was well before the meddlesome days in which we now live, can Mr. Cox explain why this plan was never carried out?

   • 1961 November 10, Joseph Heller, “The Soldier in White”, in Catch-22 […], New York, N.Y.: Simon and Schuster, →OCLC, page 168:

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

Synonyms

• (inclined to meddle or interfere): interfering, kibitzing, nosy, meddling, officious.

Derived terms

• meddlesome Mattie
• meddlesomely
• meddlesomeness

Translations

inclined to meddle or interfere

• Arabic: متطفل
• Bulgarian: натрапчив (bg) (natrapčiv)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 愛あい管かん閒あいだ事ごと／爱管闲事 (zh) (àiguǎnxiánshì), 好事こうじ (zh) (hàoshì)

• Czech: šťouravý, všetečný (cs), dotěrný
• Danish: nævenyttig
• Dutch: bemoeizuchtig (nl)
• Finnish: tunkeileva (fi)
• French: importun (fr)
• German: aufdringlich (de), lästig (de), vorwitzig, zudringlich (de)
• Greek:

  Ancient: πολυπράγμων (poluprágmōn)

• Japanese: おせっかいな (osekkai na)
• Macedonian: на́траплив (nátrapliv), на́метлив (námetliv)
• Maori: maikutu, āmionga
• Portuguese: enxerido (pt), intrometido (pt)
• Russian: надоедливый (ru) (nadojedlivyj)
• Spanish: entrometido (es)
• Turkish: işgüzar (tr), müdaheleci
• Ukrainian: нахабний (naxabnyj)