pushy

[ poosh-ee ]

adjective

, Informal.

, push·i·er, push·i·est.

1. obnoxiously forward or self-assertive.

   Synonyms: cheeky, brash, brazen

pushy

/ ˈpʊʃɪ /

adjective

1. offensively assertive or forceful
2. aggressively or ruthlessly ambitious

Derived Forms

• ˈpushiness, noun
• ˈpushily, adverb

Other Words From

• pushi·ly adverb
• pushi·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of pushy¹

An Americanism dating back to 1935–40; push + -y ¹

Example Sentences

Be present, not pushy, and see whether you and the mom can find you a loving, respectful place in your granddaughter’s life.

From Washington Post

This is yet another example of Google getting “pushy” — just look at the Discover feed.

From Search Engine Land

Publishers have gotten a lot pushier about marketing their news subscriptions lately.

From Digiday

At this point I became pushy with the collaboration … because LUNA could measure this reaction exactly.

From Quanta Magazine

For instance, there’s a scene where a pushy Lorenz takes a mouth swab from Mia, who hasn’t exactly consented.

From Singularity Hub 

He made his motion picture debut as the pushy campaign worker in Taxi Driver.

From The Daily Beast

In any case, Burgess likes to rail against these pushy liberals and their tricky, communistic light bulbs.

From The Daily Beast

Fleet Street commentary at the time described him as the “pushy Yank” who became a celebrity out of sheer force of personality.

From The Daily Beast

Coaches also have to deal with pushy parents and demanding superiors.

From The Daily Beast

Pushy, combative behavior used to be embraced in professional basketball.

From The Daily Beast

Related Words

• ambitious
• assertive
• brash
• obnoxious
• presumptuous

More About Pushy

What does pushy mean?

Pushy is used to describe a person who is considered too aggressive, forceful, or assertive.

People described as pushy are typically those who try to get others to do what they want or agree with them by demanding or just continuing to ask. In other words, a pushy person is someone who pushes other people to do things. A salesperson who follows you around and pressures you to buy can be called pushy. A friend who insists on getting their way can be called pushy.

Pushy is always used in a negative way. Calling someone pushy implies that their behavior annoys or offends you due to being overly aggressive.

The adverb form of pushy is pushily, as in The trainer very pushily insisted that I upgrade to the platinum gym membership. 

Much less commonly, pushy can be used in situations that involve literal pushing or shoving, as in If you stand in the front row at the concert, be careful—things tend to get a bit pushy. 

Example: My roommate is so pushy—she never even lets me decide where to order from when we get takeout.

Where does pushy come from?

The first records of the word pushy come from the late 1930s from the U.S. It’s based on the sense of the verb push that means “to press or urge someone to take some action or pursue a certain course.” The suffix –y is used to form adjectives and means “characterized by or inclined to.”

A pushy person tries to push their opinions or ideas on other people or tries to push them into doing something they may not want to do (if the person really wanted to do it, they probably wouldn’t need to be pushed). Describing someone as pushy means that you think their pushing is excessive. In contrast, if their aggressiveness is seen as appropriate, they might be described with a more positive word, like assertive.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to pushy?

• pushily (adverb)
• pushiness (noun)

What are some synonyms for pushy?

• brash
• brazen
• aggressive
• forceful

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

• push
• pushover

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

• salesperson
• recruiter
• telemarketer
• assertive
• obnoxious
• presumptuous
• annoying
• irritating

How is pushy used in real life?

Pushy is always used negatively. It is perhaps most commonly applied to overly aggressive salespeople.

People are more likely to buy from a friend. Don't try to sell a product or be pushy. Make a friend first and the sale will come.

— Tai Lopez (@tailopez) November 29, 2016

I'm not being too pushy, am I? … WELL, AM I? … ANSWER! #pushypeople

— Paul Hyde (@PaulHyde7) October 6, 2016

Yes. We would like some pita bread. Don’t be pushy, Lacey. pic.twitter.com/qDrJFc08gn

— Zelda the Dachshund (@ZeldaDachshund) November 28, 2020

Try using pushy!

Which of the following words is NOT a synonym of pushy?

A. aggressive
B. forceful
C. pushover
D. brash