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nosey

[noh-zee]
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adjective, nos·i·er, nos·i·est.
  1. nosy.
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nosy

or nos·ey

[noh-zee]
adjective, nos·i·er, nos·i·est.
  1. unduly curious about the affairs of others; prying; meddlesome.
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Origin of nosy

First recorded in 1880–85; nose + -y1
Related formsnos·i·ly, adverbnos·i·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

spicy, bitter, poignant, piquant, aromatic, peppery, sour, salty, tangy, sharp, acid, acrid, zesty, hot, racy, rich, seasoned, snappy, stinking, strong

Examples from the Web for nosey

Historical Examples

  • Nosey Murphy hesitated and looked to the Maltese Cockney for counsel.

    The Mutiny of the Elsinore

    Jack London

  • Remember that fight he had with Nosey, last winter he was with Bashford?

    Pippin; A Wandering Flame

    Laura E. Richards

  • Why should not Nosey Bashford like to watch her as well as you?

    Pippin; A Wandering Flame

    Laura E. Richards

  • I'd broke Nosey's beak for him long before that, fightin' when we was kids.

    Pippin; A Wandering Flame

    Laura E. Richards

  • You are too nosey and you talk too damn much with your mouth!

British Dictionary definitions for nosey

nosey

adjective
  1. a variant spelling of nosy
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nosy

nosey

adjective nosier or nosiest
  1. informal prying or inquisitive
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Derived Formsnosily, adverbnosiness, noun
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

Word Origin and History for nosey

adj.

see nosy.

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nosy

adj.

also nosey, 1610s, "having a prominent nose," from nose (n.) + -y (2). Earlier in this sense was nasee (mid-14c.), from Anglo-French, from Old French nasé, ultimately from Latin nasus "nose." Sense of "inquisitive" first recorded 1882. Nosey Parker as a name for an inquisitive person is from 1907.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper