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meddling

meddling

5.0
Being involved in other people's matters when not wanted
  • adjective
  • /ˈmɛd.lɪŋ/
translation icon : entrometido
  • I find his meddling in my personal affairs very intrusive.

When you wake up in the morning, tell yourself the people I deal with today will be meddling, ungrateful, arrogant, dishonest, jealous, and surly.

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Examples

  • And I would have been president too if it wasn't for you meddling voters.

  • When you wake up in the morning, tell yourself the people I deal with today will be meddling, ungrateful, arrogant, dishonest, jealous, and surly.

  • Drone aid the bad sushi and fell out of sky window like meddling journalists.

  • Her meddling caused unnecessary tension among the team members.

  • We wish he would stop his meddling and mind his own business.

Synonyms

busy
vsmeddling
  • Offensive
9 7.5

Showing too much interest in other people's affairs

describes general unwanted involvement in private matters
meddlesome
vsmeddling
8 7.2

Tending to get involved in other people's business and annoy them

is more about entering matters that do not concern the person
officious
vsmeddling
5 8.6

Too ready to give help or advice when people do not want it

focuses more on general prying, not only eager helpfulness
busy-bodied
vsmeddling
  • Offensive
8.4

A person who tries to find out or change other people's private lives

is broader and not necessarily as aggressively annoying
interfering
vsmeddling
5.7

A person who tries to control other people's lives

is about unwanted prying into matters unrelated to the person

Antonyms

5 4.5

Not taking part in an activity or situation

How Interfering

intrusive
52 6.1
officious
5 8.6
meddling
5.0
nosy
  • Offensive
60 3.4
inquisitive
25 4.4

Surface Forms

meddling positive

Morphology

meddling = meddle (transparent) = meddle + ing

A present-participial adjective formed from 'meddle' with the regular suffix '-ing' meaning 'tending to interfere'.

Etymology

Meddling comes from an old French verb mesler meaning 'to mix'. A helpful image is a person who 'mixes into' things that are not their business, so a meddling person is someone who interferes where they should not.