inquisitive

in·quis·i·tive

adjective \in-ˈkwi-zə-tiv\

Definition of INQUISITIVE

1

: given to examination or investigation

2

: inclined to ask questions; especially : inordinately or improperly curious about the affairs of others

— in·quis·i·tive·ly adverb

— in·quis·i·tive·ness noun

Examples of INQUISITIVE

1. <an inquisitive woman who tends to everybody's business but her own>
2. … but now, with the wanderings of the fleets and their inquisitive occupants producing words from all over, the English vocabulary was enhanced not merely by the usual suspects but by words from India and Turkey, Arabia and Malaya, Japan and the native peoples of North America … —Simon Winchester, The Meaning of Everything, 2003
3. It's partly because humans are naturally inquisitive and exploratory but also, and more significant, because we need the unknown, what historians of religion call “otherness,” to lend our lives significance. —David Nicholson-Lord, Nation, 6 Oct. 1997
4. Inquisitive eyes reveal the dingo's true nature—it's a hunter, from its cocked ears and powerful jaws to the white tip of its tail. —Mitch Reardon, Australian Geographic, July–September 1992

Origin of INQUISITIVE

(see inquisition)

First Known Use: 14th century

Related to INQUISITIVE

Synonyms

curious, nosy (or nosey), prying, snoopy

Antonyms

incurious, uncurious

Related Words

interfering, intrusive, meddlesome, meddling, obtrusive, officious; inquisitional, inquisitorial, interrogative, questioning, quizzical; concerned, interested

Near Antonyms

apathetic, disinterested, indifferent, unconcerned, uninterested

See Synonym Discussion at curious