Meanings
comparative more meddlesome · superlative most meddlesome
- Characterized 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!
2 more examples
As this was well before the meddlesome days in which we now live, can Mr. Cox explain why this plan was never carried out?
1953 June, Cecil J. Allen, “British Locomotive Practice and Performance”, in Railway Magazine, page 395The help tended to be officious, the rules, if heeded, restrictive, and the management meddlesome.
1961 November 10, Joseph Heller, “The Soldier in White”, in Catch-22 […], New York, N.Y.: Simon and Schuster, →OCLC, page 168Synonyms: interfering, kibitzing, nosy, meddling, officious
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveCharacterized or marked by meddling; inclined or having a tendency to meddle or interfere in other people's business.
More synonyms by meaning
adjectiveintrusive in a meddling or offensive manner
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Translations
Ancient Greek πολυπρᾱ́γμων
- πολυπρᾱ́γμων (poluprā́gmōn)inclined to meddle or interfere
Arabic متطفل
- متطفلinclined to meddle or interfere
Bulgarian натрапчив
- натрапчив (natrapčiv)inclined to meddle or interfere
Chinese Mandarin 愛管閒事 /爱管闲事, 好事
- 愛管閒事 /爱管闲事 (àiguǎnxiánshì)inclined to meddle or interfere
- 好事 (hàoshì)inclined to meddle or interfere
Czech šťouravý, všetečný
- šťouravýinclined to meddle or interfere
- všetečnýinclined to meddle or interfere
- dotěrnýinclined to meddle or interfere
Danish nævenyttig
- nævenyttiginclined to meddle or interfere
Dutch bemoeizuchtig
- bemoeizuchtiginclined to meddle or interfere
Finnish tunkeileva
- tunkeilevainclined to meddle or interfere
French importun
- importuninclined to meddle or interfere
German aufdringlich, lästig
- aufdringlichinclined to meddle or interfere
- lästiginclined to meddle or interfere
- vorwitziginclined to meddle or interfere
- zudringlichinclined to meddle or interfere
Japanese おせっかいな
- おせっかいな (osekkai na)inclined to meddle or interfere
Māori maikutu, āmionga
- maikutuinclined to meddle or interfere
- āmiongainclined to meddle or interfere
Polish wścibski
- wścibskiinclined to meddle or interfere
Portuguese enxerido, intrometido
- enxeridoinclined to meddle or interfere
- intrometidoinclined to meddle or interfere
Russian надоедливый
- надоедливый (nadojedlivyj)inclined to meddle or interfere
Spanish entrometido, shute
- entrometidoinclined to meddle or interfere
- shuteinclined to meddle or interfere
- meticheinclined to meddle or interfere
- entremetidoinclined to meddle or interfere
- metereteinclined to meddle or interfere
- metijóninclined to meddle or interfere
- meticóninclined to meddle or interfere
- safriscoinclined to meddle or interfere
- entrépitoinclined to meddle or interfere
- metichiinclined to meddle or interfere
- metichesinclined to meddle or interfere
- intruseteinclined to meddle or interfere
Thai ชอบยุ่ง, ชอบก้าวก่าย
- ชอบยุ่ง (chɔ̂ɔp-yûng)inclined to meddle or interfere
- ชอบก้าวก่าย (chɔ̂ɔp-gâao-gàai)inclined to meddle or interfere
- จุ้นจ้านinclined to meddle or interfere
- สอดรู้สอดเห็น (sɔ̀ɔt-rúu-sɔ̀ɔt-hěn)inclined to meddle or interfere
- ขี้เสือกinclined to meddle or interfere
Turkish işgüzar, müdaheleci
- işgüzarinclined to meddle or interfere
- müdaheleciinclined to meddle or interfere
Ukrainian нахабний
- нахабний (naxabnyj)inclined to meddle or interfere
Cite this entry
meddlesome. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/meddlesome
“meddlesome.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/meddlesome. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “meddlesome,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/meddlesome.
Source: meddlesome on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.