busybody
Americannoun
-
busybodies
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of busybody
Explanation
A busybody is a nosy, meddling person, who's very interested in what other people say and do. If you're a busybody, you can't help offering advice to friends, whether they want it or not. Busybodies are known for trying to help with situations in which they're not necessarily welcome or needed. You could describe your mom as a busybody if she asks prying questions and tries to orchestrate your romantic life. The word busybody comes from a now-obsolete meaning of busy, "prying" or "meddlesome."
Vocabulary lists containing busybody
With the Fire on High
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"Oedipus the King" by Sophocles
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The Book of Unknown Americans
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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.
See Examples For:
Her book abounds with busybody advocacy groups, donor advisory networks and consultancies run by know-nothing 20-somethings.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
That was all fine for Graham: He got his fix with bonus cable-news bookings and participated in some debates, and then—phew!—was able to return to being a busybody in the Senate.
From Slate ● Jul. 14, 2026
But Julie seems a victim here of Hedda’s artillery rather than a busybody relative anxious to extend the family line.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 25, 2026
Elizabeth Kelly, best known for playing busybody Nellie Ellis in EastEnders, died peacefully in Scarborough on 31 December, her agent Scott Marshall Partners said.
From BBC ● Feb. 4, 2026
But busybody Louise was already making for the door, peering under it out to the crowded corridor.
From "Secrets at Sea" by Richard Peck
The nomination process essentially officializes gossip, as various local busybodies suggest women based on hearsay about them and their families.
From New York Times ● Apr. 30, 2024
Apparently, other parents decided they didn't want these busybodies telling them how to educate or raise their kids so they ran against them and won.
From Salon ● Nov. 10, 2023
Working the polls has long been something that retirees did, along with nice church ladies, neighborhood busybodies, local political gadflies and civics geeks.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 8, 2022
Don’t let yourself get distracted by a bunch of interfering busybodies whose bad opinions of you might be annoying but largely have nothing to do with you.
From Slate ● Jan. 18, 2020
A bunch of dead busybodies who knew nothing about him and what he could handle, what he handled every day without complaint.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
