busybody

noun

ˈbi-zē-ˌbä-dē How to pronounce busybody (audio)
Definition of busybodynext
as in intruder
a person who meddles in the affairs of others that busybody across the street is always telling me how to tend to my own garden

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of busybody A number of presences, including Hunter Schafer‘s busybody assistant and Kaia Gerber’s entourage hanger-on, flit about on the periphery while the leads conversationally duke it out. — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 14 Apr. 2026 Claire was initially surprised that this busybody had assumed the role of her official helper without an invitation. — Lincee Ray, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Mar. 2026 But Julie seems a victim here of Hedda’s artillery rather than a busybody relative anxious to extend the family line. — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2026 Even today, the vast majority of parents, educators, legislators, and other busybodies think teens and kids in general are spending too much time on TikTok, on Instagram Reels, on YouTube Shorts, on social media, on devices, on screens, and online. — Philip Maymin, Forbes.com, 21 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for busybody
Recent Examples of Synonyms for busybody
  1. intruder
  2. gossiper
  3. meddler
  4. spy
  5. interloper
  6. buttinsky
Noun
  • Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology note that an intruder could replace legitimate control instructions with malicious commands.
    — William Akoto, Fortune, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Authorities are looking for help identifying the masked intruder who appeared on Guthrie's Nest doorbell camera on the night of her abduction as well as the sender of the notes.
    — Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of intruder
Noun
  • Celebrity gossiper Rob Shuter reported that the two recently let go of a number of their staff.
    — Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 3 Sep. 2025
  • Her staff figured out how to get rid of the gossiper.
    — Ronda Racha Penrice, HollywoodReporter, 10 Aug. 2025
Definition of gossiper
Noun
  • Nelly herself is heavily reinterpreted by Fennell, imagined in this film as the illegitimate daughter of an aristocrat who serves as Cathy’s maid; the film also runs with modern readings of her character as a more proactive meddler in the doomed love between the main characters.
    — Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 13 Feb. 2026
  • The factory owners called her a meddler and insisted that the cost of protecting workers would destroy American industry.
    — Michelle A. Williams, STAT, 2 Feb. 2026
Definition of meddler
Noun
  • In interviews with federal agents and later with CNN, his family dismissed the notion that Beloozerov may have been a spy.
    — Isabelle Chapman, CNN Money, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Margaretha Zelle MacLeod’s stage name came to signify the epitome of the seductive female spy after she was executed by the French in 1917.
    — Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of spy
Noun
  • The interlopers were contrabandistas, Native Pacific Northwesterners brought by American merchants operating out of Hawaii and heading to the Mexican coast to hunt otters without a license.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 29 July 2026
  • Even stranger, after the interloper was apprehended, umpire Bill Miller used his field microphone to encourage Tigers fans to give the grounds crew a round of applause.
    — Levi Weaver, New York Times, 28 July 2026
Definition of interloper
Noun
  • Rather, the story is set in motion by Kevin O’Neill (Rick Holmes), a private-equity manager and arrogant buttinsky who takes an interest in Cara.
    — Jesse Green, New York Times, 6 June 2018
Definition of buttinsky

Browse Nearby Words

busybodies
busybody
busying
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Cite this Entry

“Busybody.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/busybody. Accessed 12 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of busybody for Spanish Speakers

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