officious

American  

[uh-fish-uhs] / əˈfɪʃ əs /

adjective

1. objectionably aggressive in offering one's unrequested and unwanted services, help, or advice; meddlesome.

   My brother-in-law is so officious that he can be unbearable.

   Antonyms:

   retiring

2. marked by or proceeding from such forwardness.

   officious interference.

3. Obsolete. ready to serve; obliging.

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officious British  

/ əˈfɪʃəs /

adjective

1. unnecessarily or obtrusively ready to offer advice or services

2. marked by such readiness

3. diplomacy informal or unofficial

4. obsolete attentive or obliging

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Commonly Confused

The noun official refers to someone with a certain degree of authority because they were elected or appointed to a position of responsibility within a government, organization, etc. There are White House officials, corporate officials, school board officials, sports officials—the list is seemingly endless. Just keep in mind that the noun official is rather generic and is not used to identify a specific ranking of position or authority as are such titles as president, CEO, treasurer, referee, etc., all of whom could be referred to as officials. Official can also be an adjective, and that’s when it’s sometimes confused with officious (which is always an adjective). Like many commonly misunderstood words, officious simply looks and sounds as if it could be a synonym for the word it’s confused with—in this case, official. Given the meaning of official as a noun, it’s not surprising that its adjective senses relate to authority or authorization—for example, “relating to a position of authority” ( the official sovereignty of the queen ); “issued authoritatively” ( waiting for official instructions ); “authorized to act in a designated capacity” ( the project’s official spokesperson ). Could the adjective officious be that much different? Well, to borrow one of the preceding examples, if you were “waiting for official instructions,” the last thing you’d want is for someone to show up and give you “ officious instructions.” Why? Because officious people rarely have any official authority whatsoever. In fact, what makes them officious is their inclination to be meddlesome and interfering in a self-appointed sort of way. Officious people deliver unsolicited advice, direction, and services regardless of what may or may not be appropriate, and especially without regard for the wishes of those on the receiving end of their “assistance.” So, if someone shows up to give you officious instructions, by all means wait for the official instructions instead!

Other Word Forms

• officiously adverb
• officiousness noun
• overofficious adjective
• overofficiously adverb
• overofficiousness noun
• superofficious adjective
• superofficiously adverb
• superofficiousness noun
• unofficious adjective
• unofficiously adverb
• unofficiousness noun

Etymology

Origin of officious

First recorded in 1555–65; from Latin officiōsus “obliging, dutiful,” equivalent to offici(um) “service, duty” + -ōsus adjective suffix; office, -ous

Example Sentences

Stern and officious, the admiral scowled down at each Incorrigible.

From Literature

There is plenty of the sort of officious nit-picking beloved of sports authorities.

From New York Times

From the moody and officious to the joker and the Buddhist, every canine companion I have worked with brought a distinct character to our partnership.

From BBC

The case, however, made Comstock’s name synonymous with “prudery, Puritanism and officious meddling,” according to Broun and Leech.

From Los Angeles Times

Why not, “Today, we need spoons in the kitchen, the dining room and in many other places”? Chat depends on canned phrases and writes like a bureaucrat: It is formal and officious.

From Washington Post