backseat driver

noun

an automobile passenger who offers the driver unsolicited advice, warnings, criticism, etc., especially from the backseat.

any person who, by means of criticism, unsolicited advice, or the like, interferes in affairs that are not his or her concern or responsibility.

Words nearby backseat driver

backs, backsaw, backscatter, backscratcher, backseat, backseat driver, backset, backsheesh, backshore, backside, backside-front

Origin of backseat driver

First recorded in 1925–30

OTHER WORDS FROM backseat driver

backseat driving, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

British Dictionary definitions for back-seat driver

back-seat driver

noun informal

a passenger in a car who offers unwanted advice to the driver

a person who offers advice on or tries to direct matters that are not his or her concern

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Idioms and Phrases with back-seat driver

backseat driver

A passenger who gives unwanted and/or unneeded directions to the driver; also, a person who interferes in affairs without having knowledge, responsibility, or authority for doing so. For example, Aunt Mary drives us all crazy with her instructions; she's an incurable backseat driver. This term originated in the United States in the 1920s, when it was first used for a passenger legitimately directing a chauffeur, and it was quickly transferred to figurative use. Also see the synonym Monday-morning quarterback and the antonym take a back seat.