Synonyms of meddling

meddling 1 of 3

adjective

as in busy

thrusting oneself where one is not welcome or invited

the bride's parents promised that they would never be meddling in-laws

Synonyms & Similar Words

• busy
• intruding
• interfering
• meddlesome
• officious
• intrusive
• annoying
• obtrusive
• prying
• nosy
• pushy
• pushing
• snoopy
• presumptuous
• rude
• protrusive
• presuming
• invading
• impudent
• brazen
• bumptious
• insolent
• trespassing
• curious
• impertinent
• inquisitive
• overbearing
• harassing
• pestiferous
• bold
• superserviceable

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• unobtrusive
• uninvolved
• withdrawn
• silent
• quiet
• hands-off
• reclusive
• retiring
• reticent
• inhibited
• restrained
• reserved
• taciturn
• subdued

meddling

2 of 3

noun

as in interference

Related Words

• interference
• assistance
• teaching
• coaching
• mentoring
• preaching
• prompting
• instruction
• tutoring
• briefing
• priming
• moralizing
• kibitzing
• direction
• observation
• lesson
• pontificating
• speech
• verdict
• exhortation
• judgment
• lecture
• warning
• sermon
• solution
• consideration
• data
• remonstrance
• thought
• information
• alert
• cautioning
• remonstration
• expostulation
• forewarning
• advisement
• alarm
• feedback
• answer
• caution
• urging
• tip
• pointer
• hint

meddling

3 of 3

verb

present participle of meddle

as in interfering

to interest oneself in what is not one's concern

please stop meddling in your sister's marriage, even though you mean well

Synonyms & Similar Words

• interfering
• messing
• snooping
• poking
• intervening
• intruding
• prying
• intermeddling
• interloping
• obtruding
• nosing
• invading
• mucking (about or around)
• butting in
• encroaching
• tampering
• interceding
• fooling
• trespassing
• fiddling
• interposing
• infringing
• playing
• monkeying
• chiseling (in)
• barging (in)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• avoiding
• ignoring
• shunning
• neglecting
• disregarding
• eschewing
• overlooking

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of meddling

Adjective

Practical, traditional and somewhat meddling, Aunt Maysilee places importance on societal norms. — Rebecca Angel Baer, Southern Living, 29 Jan. 2026

Noun

From the United States losing in the round of 16 after the whole Folarin Balogun saga, to Argentina eventually going down to Spain in the final, the outcomes on the field in the end minimized whispers about potential FIFA meddling. — Ian Nicholas Quillen, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026

The warning comes after hackers targeted more than 30 municipal water facilities in Minnesota in an attack that had hallmarks of Iranian meddling, according to a law enforcement official. — Daniel Arkin, NBC news, 31 July 2026

So perhaps, Brooks suggests, Shai meddling in this new potential romance between her and Liam has more to do with his own feelings rather than Hudson’s. — Tom Smyth, Vulture, 30 July 2026

One such director, Henry Loomis, quit in 1965, to protest meddling by political appointees from Lyndon Johnson’s White House. — Marc Fisher, New Yorker, 30 July 2026

Public materials and Hamas documents show the terrorist group meddling in OCHA programs to control aid distribution and conceal identities of members who could be recipients, NGO Monitor found. — Hudson Crozier, The Washington Examiner, 23 July 2026

His tenure came to an abrupt end in early 2001, after his contract was terminated unexpectedly, prompting protests from the European film community amid claims of political meddling. — Zac Ntim, Deadline, 7 July 2026

Despite the studio's meddling and polarizing reactions at the time of release, Lang's efforts still impressed viewers, and in the decades that followed, many attempts were made to restore Lang's vision to varying degrees of success. — Britt Hayes, Entertainment Weekly, 16 June 2026

Although 48% had confidence that there would be no meddling, the concerns expressed were still significant, said political scientist Eric Schickler, co-director of the institute. — Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2026

Verb

North Carolina lawmakers attempted to wrest control of the facility from Charlotte last decade due to concerns of meddling by the city. — Dj Simmons july 27, Charlotte Observer, 27 July 2026

This is the fourth installment, with Red (daughter of the Queen of Hearts) and Chloe Charming (daughter of Cinderella and Prince Charming) coming to terms with the consequences of meddling with the timeline in the last movie. — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 17 July 2026

On Tuesday night, the Maine Democratic Party publicly accused the campaign of meddling in the succession process. — Aidan McLaughlin, Vanity Fair, 9 July 2026

And Maine’s Democratic Party accused Graham Platner of meddling in the process to replace him. — Kaylah Jackson, NBC news, 8 July 2026

Instead, the meddling radiated corruption over due process of an unfortunate but longstanding rule that has remedies seldom invoked in the middle of the World Cup. — Vahe Gregorian july 7, Kansas City Star, 7 July 2026

Or, the family retains voting control but empowers a world-class professional management team to run daily operations without meddling, as seen at Hyatt or McCormick & Co. — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 6 July 2026

The story is untethered from reality in a way that's ridiculously charming—think the hijinks levels of Weekend at Bernie's paired with a whodunnit plot line plus a whole slew of meddling, larger-than-life characters. — Katherine Polcari, Southern Living, 19 June 2026

Although 48% had confidence that there would be not meddling, the concerns expressed were still significant, Schickler said. — Justine McDaniel, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2026