gadfly

[ gad-flahy ]

noun

, plural gad·flies.

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

All this shows Walton is not a gadfly or a persistent critic of Gloria’s.

From Voice of San Diego

In exile he would be just another gadfly, too easy for Putin to ignore.

From Time

Johns’s approach has been influenced most profoundly by Marcel Duchamp — inventor of the ready-made, lover of chance, gadfly skeptic.

From Washington Post

He'd be one of five people named “Kevin” in the race, though a state law passed after 2003 requires recall candidates to post their five most recent years of tax records, which could convince some gadfly candidates not to run.

From Washington Post

In 2008, and during his gadfly campaign in 2019, Gravel got the most attention as an old man who would say what plenty of people were thinking.

From Washington Post

But you run the very real risk of being little more than an interesting gadfly.

From The Daily Beast

The result left the Democratic governor, previously best known as a good-government gadfly, with approval ratings in the low 30s.

From The Daily Beast

I asked Child whether he felt a bond with me, based on the picture for my debut novel, The Year of the Gadfly.

From The Daily Beast

But when I said that Gadfly included vicious bullying and teen suicide, he changed tack.

From The Daily Beast

The right-wing gadfly is on the attack again—but this time she's going after her fellow nutjobs.

From The Daily Beast

The gadfly does not immediately sting you; it begins by buzzing in your ears, and you do not at first know what it is.

From Project Gutenberg

As I shouldered my load their murmuring voices full of amorous desire stung me like a gadfly.

From Project Gutenberg

Then she carried out her revenge by sending an enormous gadfly to torment poor Io, who was still in the form of a heifer.

From Project Gutenberg

The trumpeter Gadfly and a number of his relations, besides several Grasshoppers and Bees, were the chief musicians.

From Project Gutenberg

She was nagged incessantly by a gadfly of conscience that buzzed in her ears the counsel to tell the police.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• motivator

More About Gadfly

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.

Where does gadfly come from?

The first records of gadfly come from the late 1500s, in reference to the biting fly. The gad part comes from a name for a stick used to poke or prod cattle (also known as a goad or cattle prod). Around the 1600s, gadfly started to be used in figurative ways, including to mean “a social butterfly.”

Today, the most common use of gadfly is in reference to an annoying person who pesters people with frivolous requests or tries to rope them into their schemes. It’s a good metaphor: literal gadflies are notorious for biting and annoying cattle and other barnyard animals. They’re mostly harmless, but they’re relentless—they keep biting and biting because there’s not much the animals can do to shoo them away.

The same goes for figurative gadflies. They’re the kind of people who relentlessly pepper you with questions, demands, even insults. Local government meetings are known for drawing gadflies—the people who are always there issuing criticisms and making unreasonable requests, often with the intention of provoking government officials. (Sometimes, though, the word may be self-applied or applied to people trying to hold officials accountable.) A lot of TV sitcoms have a gadfly character—the one who’s always hanging around and annoying people.

Did you know ... ?

What are some synonyms for gadfly?

• pest
• pesterer
• nuisance

What are some words that share a root or word element with gadfly? 

• gad
• fly
• horse fly
• housefly

What are some words that often get used in discussing gadfly?

• annoy
• pester
• harass
• relentless
• insect
• bite
• livestock
• cattle

How is gadfly used in real life?

Gadfly is most commonly used in its figurative sense, and it’s almost always used negatively.

I worked in Columbus for 13yrs and remember Rusty Houser as a political gadfly who always complained at city council meetings. #wsbtv

— Richard Elliot (@RElliotWSB) July 24, 2015

Two political gadflies, Stephen Bannon and Guo Wengui, have a common, if overly grand, objective: bringing about the demise of the Chinese Communist Party. https://t.co/PEPkUupu8j

— New York Times World (@nytimesworld) December 4, 2018

My knee looks like the map of America – stupid gadfly…

— Swans cookie @AC:NH fun (@HaruspexArtemy) July 3, 2013

 

 

Try using gadfly!

Which of the following terms best describes someone who’s considered a gadfly?

A. helpful
B. annoying
C. considerate
D. low maintenance