gadfly

[gad-flahy]

noun

plural

gadflies 

1. any of various flies, fly, as a stable fly or warble fly, that bite or annoy domestic animals.

2. a person who persistently annoys or provokes others with criticism, schemes, ideas, demands, requests, etc.

gadfly

/ ˈɡædˌflaɪ /

noun

1. any of various large dipterous flies, esp the horsefly, that annoy livestock by sucking their blood

2. a constantly irritating or harassing person

Word History and Origins

Origin of gadfly¹

First recorded in 1585–95; gad ² + fly ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of gadfly¹

C16: from _gad ² (sting) + _fly ²

Example Sentences

Whether or not the unidentified whistle blower has an ax to grind is unknown to me, but plainly the email is not a list of wild accusations hurled by an unreliable gadfly.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

It wasn’t that long ago that Bernie Sanders was a gadfly from Vermont.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The term “gadfly” often is bandied about local government to describe those who never miss a public meeting.

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That’s because in Austin, Harrison is viewed as a gadfly, with few legislative victories or allies.

Read more on Salon

Renewable energy advocates treat activists like Gilbert as relentless gadflies who need to be stopped for the good of the planet.

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Related Words

• motivator 

When To Use

What does gadfly mean?

A gadfly is a person who’s always hanging around and annoying people with criticism, demands, and questions. Basically, the kind of person you want to shoo away like a biting insect. Speaking of which ...The literal meaning of gadfly refers to any of several types of flies (such as stable flies or warble flies) that are known for pestering livestock by biting them and sucking their blood.Example: Don’t mind him—he’s just a gadfly who comes to every council meeting to request that the town pay to put a trampoline park in his backyard.