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Glite Dictionary
to intermeddle

to intermeddle

9.4
Get involved in other people's affairs when not wanted
  • verb
  • /ˌɪntərˈmɛdəl/
translation icon : interferir
  • Don't intermeddle in their affairs!

Examples

  • The manager warned staff not to intermeddle in other departments' work.

  • It is best not to intermeddle in disputes between colleagues unless asked for help.

  • She regretted her decision to intermeddle in her friend's personal matters.

  • She always intermeddles in family disputes.

  • She tends to intermeddle in her friends' relationships, offering unwanted advice.

  • It's best not to intermeddle in matters that do not concern you, as it may cause conflict.

  • He often intermeddles in his coworkers' projects, disrupting their workflow.

Synonyms

to interfere
vsto intermeddle
487 3.5

To get involved in a situation and make things not work as they should

means unwanted involvement without necessarily implying active hindrance
to meddle
vsto intermeddle
80 5.7

To get involved in other people's business and annoy them

is the general verb for such unwanted or unnecessary involvement
to stick one's nose into
vsto intermeddle
  • UK
1 7.9

To get involved in other people's business without being asked

is the broader term for such unwanted involvement, not the idiomatic phrase
to mell
vsto intermeddle
  • Archaic
9.9

Get involved in other people's business without being asked

is the standard verb for unwanted involvement in others' matters
to stick one's oar in
vsto intermeddle
  • Informal
8.6

To get involved in other people's business when they do not ask for help

is the neutral description for the same unwanted intrusion without the phrase form

Antonyms

to ignore
∞ 1.0

Choose not to pay attention to someone or something

to mind one's own business
  • Informal
51 3.7

Stay out of other people's private matters and focus on your own

How Intrusive

to intrude
105 4.4
to butt in
  • Informal
21 4.4
to intermeddle
9.4
to interfere
487 3.5
to intervene
197 5.0
to look on
50 3.4

Surface Forms

intermeddle infinitive
intermeddled past
intermeddled past participle
intermeddling present participle
intermeddles third person singular

Morphology

intermeddle = meddle (transparent) = inter + meddle

The meaning is directly derived by adding the prefix 'inter-' to the verb 'meddle', producing a verb with the expected sense of interfering/meddling among parties.

Etymology

Intermeddle comes from the part inter- 'between' and the word meddle, which once meant 'to mix', like the common word mix. So to intermeddle is to 'mix yourself between' other people's affairs, which is another way of saying to interfere.