officiously
1
8.4
- adverb
- /əˈfɪʃəsli/
:
entrometidamente
- First, what we call the nanny state—the intrusive state that officiously decides how much of our own reason and judgment we get to use—is a construct of men, is run by men, and has obtained in settled societies throughout much of history.
- officiously, the doctor said
Examples
-
Larry Albeit, Anya's father, sat down beside her on the wrestling mat and officiously zipped open his jacket.
Fiction book (1995) -
As two uniformed cops go to Bernzy's chair, an officiously swift woman enters and whispers in the older agent's ear.
Fiction book (1992) -
"What's going on here?" one of them demanded officiously.
Fiction book (2002) -
Thou shalt not kill but need not strive officiously to keep alive.
-
Beterli stepped up officiously to his egg, daring anyone to come near it.
Fiction book (2002) -
"It's after eight-thirty," Kris said officiously, closing her math book.
Fiction book (1993) -
So what? He held up a manila folder labeled MARCH PAYMENTS, officiously read the single page it contained: "Dear Mr. Pavane, thank you for your payment of $320 toward your bill..."
Fiction book (1995) -
They were able to react properly when the 'game plan' became derailed; they didn't react officiously to 'conflict'; and they were able to trust the kids when it was necessary for them to make decisions independent of the 'system' when they were faced with unexpected tactics.
Blog text (24) -
She flounced back behind the bar through the taproom, closing and bolting us officiously away from the ale kegs, and I could hear her clogs rattling down the stone hall and up the wooden stairs at the rear of the building.
Fiction book (1990) -
The officiously waiter kept interrupting our conversation to offer suggestions.
Synonyms
1
7.5
In a way that is too eager and causes problems
In a way that shows too much interest in other people's private things
How Meddlesome
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Officiously comes from the Latin word officium, meaning 'duty' or 'service', and is related to English office and official. A helpful way to remember it is to imagine someone who thinks it is their 'duty' to help everyone and so gives unwanted advice or interferes, which is why officiously means being overly eager to help in a bossy or meddling way.