gadfly

noun

gad·​fly ˈgad-ˌflī 

1

: any of various flies (such as a horsefly, botfly, or warble fly) that bite or annoy livestock

2

: a person who stimulates or annoys other people especially by persistent criticism

a political gadfly

Did you know?

The Gadfly of Athens

It's easy to guess what puts the fly in gadfly: in its oldest meaning, fly refers to a winged insect. But (gadzooks!) what about the gad? As a standalone English word, gad means "chisel," but it once could be used for a spike, spear, or rod for goading cattle. It was in the 16th century that gad was joined with fly to refer to any of several insects that bother livestock. Before too long, English speakers began applying gadfly to people who annoy or provoke others. One of history's most famous gadflies was the philosopher Socrates, who was known for his constant questioning of his fellow Athenians' ethics, misconceptions, and assumptions. In his Apology, Plato describes Socrates' characterization of Athens as a large and sluggish horse and of Socrates himself as the fly that bites and rouses it. Many translations use gadfly in this portion of the Apology, and Socrates is sometimes referred to as the "gadfly of Athens."

Synonyms

• annoyance
• annoyer
• bother
• gnawer
• nudnik
• nudnick
• nuisance
• pain
• persecutor
• pest
• tease
• teaser

Examples of gadfly in a Sentence

the journalist was known as a gadfly for exposing hypocrisy in politics

Recent Examples on the Web

Listen to this article Irish actor and global gadfly Malachy McCourt, the last surviving sibling of a family chronicled by his brother’s memoir about poverty and pain, died Monday in Manhattan. —Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 11 Mar. 2024

This reads to me as a defense of the novelist’s ability to cross lines of race and gender to step into other people’s shoes, an argument that has been made with less sophistication and more angst in recent years by culture-warrior gadflies like Lionel Shriver. —Ryu Spaeth, Vulture, 4 June 2024

An initiative improvised by career bureaucrats, outside experts, and administration gadflies, Operation Warp Speed did not score its main success in vaccine development. —Philip Zelikow, Foreign Affairs, 12 Dec. 2023

Exxon Mobil’s action against Arjuna and Follow This opens a new chapter in the long battle between corporate managements and shareholder gadflies. —Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

gad entry 1 + fly entry 4

First Known Use

1569, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

gadfly

noun

gad·​fly ˈgad-ˌflī 

1

: any of various flies (as a horsefly or botfly) that are pests especially of livestock

2

: a person who annoys others especially by persistent criticism

Medical Definition

gadfly

noun

gad·​fly ˈgad-ˌflī 

plural gadflies

: any of various flies (as a horsefly, botfly, or warble fly) that bite or annoy livestock