intrusive
Americanadjective
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tending or apt to intrude; coming without invitation or welcome.
intrusive memories of a lost love.
- Synonyms:
- disturbing, irritating, troublesome, worrisome, irksome, bothersome, annoying
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characterized by or involving intrusion.
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intruding; thrusting in.
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Geology.
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(of a rock) having been forced between preexisting rocks or rock layers while in a molten or plastic condition.
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noting or pertaining to plutonic rocks.
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Phonetics. excrescent.
adjective
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characterized by intrusion or tending to intrude
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(of igneous rocks) formed by intrusion Compare extrusive
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phonetics relating to or denoting a speech sound that is introduced into a word or piece of connected speech for a phonetic rather than a historical or grammatical reason, such as the (r) often pronounced between idea and of in the idea of it
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of intrusive
late Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425; see origin at intrusion, -ive
Explanation
Something intrusive is getting in your face or invading your space. Nosey questions, a poke in the ribs, and a hovering mother are all intrusive. Things that are intrusive are a real pain in the neck: they intrude on you. If someone asks you a million questions, especially personal questions, that's intrusive behavior. When photographers hound celebrities, they're being intrusive. If a rock is sticking out and getting in people's way, then it's intrusive. All meanings of intrusive involve something being where it doesn't belong.
Vocabulary lists containing intrusive
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One of Us Is Lying
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“It’s a completely overly intrusive way to collect discovery,” Robbins told Frimpong, noting that agents who had been deployed to L.A. were now scattered across the country.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
Aesthetically, of course, they are least intrusive when the toilet is in a separate room.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
“Of course, no line that the States draw will satisfy everyone. But the Judiciary is not the proper institution to make what would often be arbitrary and highly intrusive athlete-by-athlete assessments.”
From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026
They experience heightened anxiety, panic attacks, intrusive memories, and difficulty concentrating in general.
From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2026
But the banging on the door was unlike him; it was loud, rude, intrusive.
From "Purple Hibiscus" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
