as in domineering
fond of ordering people around
I don't want to work with him because he's so bossy and always runs roughshod over me
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Recent Examples of bossy
With the sun, Venus and Mercury moving through your bossy 10th house of career and authority this season, your work life becomes more visible and demanding.
—
Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 21 Dec. 2025
Imagine the bossy, vegetal crunch of a nearly raw bell pepper.
—Adam Erace, Bon Appetit Magazine, 11 Dec. 2025
Sybil was hotelier Basil Fawlty’s acerbic and bossy wife, who argued frequently with Basil and was often the subject of his ire.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 28 Oct. 2025
On the show, Scales’ bossy Sybil Fawlty and Cleese’s dysfunctional Basil Fawlty run a hotel in the town of Torquay in Devon, England.
—Rhett Bartlett, HollywoodReporter, 28 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bossy
Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 21 Dec. 2025
Imagine the bossy, vegetal crunch of a nearly raw bell pepper.
—Adam Erace, Bon Appetit Magazine, 11 Dec. 2025
Sybil was hotelier Basil Fawlty’s acerbic and bossy wife, who argued frequently with Basil and was often the subject of his ire.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 28 Oct. 2025
On the show, Scales’ bossy Sybil Fawlty and Cleese’s dysfunctional Basil Fawlty run a hotel in the town of Torquay in Devon, England.
—Rhett Bartlett, HollywoodReporter, 28 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bossy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bossy
Adjective
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But another, on a purely narrative level, is how the Wiggin sisters were driven by a domineering dad, Austin Wiggin, as much as the Wilson brothers were by the infamous Murray Wilson, as Pat Thomas notes in the movie (also bringing up Joe Jackson as an even scarier reference).—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
15 Mar. 2026
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Adam McKay’s toxically smug dissection of Dick Cheney fails to take the full measure of this monstrous vice-president, but even so, Bale taps into something elemental about the man’s arrogance and domineering personality.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
7 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Organizers and protesters fear America is on a path toward authoritarian rule.—
Sarah D. Wire,
USA Today,
29 Mar. 2026
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The President has, in ICE, a quasi-authoritarian force at his disposal.—
Benjamin Wallace-Wells,
New Yorker,
29 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Would the petulant, arrogant, all-knowing Donald still have started a war against Iran?—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
22 Mar. 2026
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Your partner acts arrogant or entitled.—
Kristen Rogers,
CNN Money,
21 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bossy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bossy. Accessed 30 Mar. 2026.
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