prying

American  

[prahy-ing] / ˈpraɪ ɪŋ /

adjective

1. that pries; looking or searching curiously.

2. impertinently or unnecessarily curious or inquisitive.

   Synonyms:

   nosy

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Related Words

See curious.

Other Word Forms

• pryingly adverb
• pryingness noun
• unprying adjective

Etymology

Origin of prying

First recorded in 1950–55; pry ¹ + -ing ²

Example Sentences

The feature doesn’t protect you from all prying eyes.

From The Wall Street Journal

Done up in a luscious dark-red paint scheme, it has a removable roof over the front seats, putting your chauffeur out in the elements while you sit in back, away from prying eyes.

From The Wall Street Journal

For decades a narrow waterway in Ganvie, Benin has been a discreet rendezvous point for young couples to meet -- safe under cover of darkness, far away from strict families and prying eyes.

From Barron's

In the touch-and-go struggle with Agathocles, the author identifies the “playbook that became the standard for warring against Carthage”: taking the fight to Africa and prying away the city’s local allies.

From The Wall Street Journal

Video showed customs officers prying open a crate to find the rock, its surface grey and rugged.

From Barron's