meddling

American  

[med-ling] / ˈmɛd lɪŋ /

adjective

1. interfering or getting involved in a matter without any right or invitation.

   Comedic complications arise when a meddling friend attempts to rekindle the spark in the couple’s tired marriage.

---

noun

1. the act or habit of interfering or getting involved in something without any right or invitation.

   The company will work independently, and there won't be any meddling by the government.

Other Word Forms

• meddlingly adverb
• unmeddling adjective
• unmeddlingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of meddling

First recorded in 1375–1425; meddle ( def. ) + -ing ² ( def. ) for the adjective; meddle ( def. ) + -ing ¹ ( def. ) for the noun

Example Sentences

It’s a near-catastrophic narrative oversight that, like a handful of other plot holes, reeks of studio meddling by Warner Bros. after early test screenings failed to meet expectations.

From Salon

Worse than that, if left in that time period for too long, they would inevitably become Butterflies themselves, meddling with the ebb and flow of time by their very presence.

From Literature

Ethiopia has also accused Eritrea of meddling by backing Tigrayan forces, which it denies.

From BBC

To protect the government’s cash cow, politicians avoided meddling in PdVSA, which was run by highly trained engineers and other professionals.

From The Wall Street Journal

Smith affirmed Thursday that she "would expect that the US administration would respect Canadian sovereignty," and said she would raise any issues related to referendum meddling with Washington.

From Barron's