bossy
1 Americanadjective
adjective
noun
adjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of bossy1
An Americanism dating back to 1880–85; boss 1 + -y 1
Origin of bossy2
First recorded in 1535–45; boss 2 + -y 1
Origin of bossy3
Explanation
Someone who's bossy has a tendency to order other people around. Your bossy friend might tell you what clothes you should wear on your date as well as which restaurant you ought to eat at. Bossy people enjoy telling you what to do. Your bossy roommate might instruct you to clean the kitchen immediately, and a bossy kid could happily spend an afternoon ordering his babysitter to push him on a swing. While the 16th century meaning was "swelling and rounded, decorated with buttons," by the late 1800s bossy meant "domineering," from the Dutch baas, or "master." It's also a popular name for a cow, from the Latin bos, "cow."
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.
The two delight in discovering each other’s cultural differences, even if the alien is occasionally bossy and annoying, say when Rocky bleats “Dirty! Dirty!” upon entering Grace’s astral man cave.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 18, 2026
This may sound bossy, but in the absence of clear communication, we tend to overanalyze, says Sara Jane Ho, an etiquette expert and host of the Netflix show “Mind Your Manners.”
From MarketWatch • Jan. 29, 2026
"I'm not a Conservative voter to start with, but I find him to be a big bossy boy," she said.
From BBC • Jan. 15, 2026
One small, slightly bossy note: leaf shape matters.
From Salon • Dec. 16, 2025
And then in his bossy, comforting voice, he explained things.
From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez
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.
