busybody

noun

busy·​body ˈbi-zē-ˌbä-dē 

: an officious or inquisitive person

Synonyms

• buttinsky
• buttinski
• interferer
• interloper
• intermeddler
• intruder
• kibitzer
• kibbitzer
• meddler
• nosey parker [chiefly British]

Examples of busybody in a Sentence

The neighborhood busybody is telling everyone that the couple up the street is getting divorced.

that busybody across the street is always telling me how to tend to my own garden

Recent Examples on the Web

Not that Miss Manners believes that hearing that explanation — or any other — would discourage a determined busybody. —Judith Martin, The Mercury News, 14 Jan. 2025

Of all people to hand a secret to, a religious busybody has to be among the worst. —Caroline Framke, Vulture, 20 Nov. 2024

Fiona Shaw plays the maiden sister of Roger Muldoon, friend of Grace, general busybody, possessor of zero ability to read a room. —Rachel Elspeth Gross, Forbes, 28 Nov. 2024

This style of browsing is distinct from the hunter and the busybody, as the dancer weaves a path through new information across broad subjects that have some tangible link. —New Atlas, 27 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1526, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

busybody

noun

busy·​body ˈbiz-ē-ˌbäd-ē 

: a person who meddles in the affairs of others