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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in interference
Related Words
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of meddling
Comfort Ero, Time, 9 Jan. 2026
The doctrine formulated by President James Monroe was originally aimed at opposing European meddling in the Western Hemisphere.
—Meg Kinnard, Fortune, 4 Jan. 2026
And yet, the theory goes, Kubrick had so masterfully embedded his clues in the film that some of them survived the posthumous meddling.
—Lane Brown, Vulture, 17 Dec. 2025
Traditional accounts often see African elites as merely victims of external meddling.
—Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
But Min and his fellow Democrats in the minority in the House and Senate refuse to budge and the doors of the meddling, taxing federal behemoth remain shut.
—John Seiler, Oc Register, 28 Oct. 2025
Putin claimed that such NGOs had taken in more than $1 billion from foreign sources, offering the figure as ostensible proof of Western meddling.
—Tetiana Kotelnykova, The Atlantic, 22 Oct. 2025
Many telling of the myth make clear that Prometheus only had to steal fire from Zeus because his meddling ruined it for all of us in the first place.
—James Folta, Literary Hub, 22 Oct. 2025
Like their forebears in a bygone era of Republican politics, their beliefs are defined by faith in free markets and suspicion of government meddling in society.
—David M. Drucker, Twin Cities, 19 Oct. 2025
Jonathan Lemire, The Atlantic, 13 Jan. 2026
New documents filed Friday in the Rose Bowl’s breach-of-contract case against UCLA that also accuses Kroenke Sports and Entertainment of meddling on behalf of SoFi Stadium revealed communication between UCLA and a top Kroenke executive dating to August 2024.
—Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 10 Jan. 2026
That does lend itself to meddling in Central and South America.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 10 Jan. 2026
And Watson’s scandal and injuries compromised the Browns’ operation, leading to an awkward 2025 NFL Draft that saw the Browns draft two QBs — Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel and Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders — with Haslam meddling heavily again.
—Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 5 Jan. 2026
Beyond the precincts of fiction, of course, the world has a way of meddling with such bonds.
—Rachel Syme, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025
Doris Roberts, who portrayed Ray's meddling mother Marie, died in 2016 at 90, following a stroke.
—Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Nov. 2025
According to Lindsay, Padberg urged her to avoid meddling and let Neal and his team work with Amazon behind closed doors.
—Sean Patrick Cooper, Rolling Stone, 24 Nov. 2025
Predictably, Mike responds to Kyle’s beating by meddling further.
—Noel Murray, Vulture, 2 Nov. 2025
Noun
That perspective is understandable, given decades of foreign meddling in Africa.
—Comfort Ero, Time, 9 Jan. 2026
The doctrine formulated by President James Monroe was originally aimed at opposing European meddling in the Western Hemisphere.
—Meg Kinnard, Fortune, 4 Jan. 2026
And yet, the theory goes, Kubrick had so masterfully embedded his clues in the film that some of them survived the posthumous meddling.
—Lane Brown, Vulture, 17 Dec. 2025
Traditional accounts often see African elites as merely victims of external meddling.
—Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
But Min and his fellow Democrats in the minority in the House and Senate refuse to budge and the doors of the meddling, taxing federal behemoth remain shut.
—John Seiler, Oc Register, 28 Oct. 2025
Putin claimed that such NGOs had taken in more than $1 billion from foreign sources, offering the figure as ostensible proof of Western meddling.
—Tetiana Kotelnykova, The Atlantic, 22 Oct. 2025
Many telling of the myth make clear that Prometheus only had to steal fire from Zeus because his meddling ruined it for all of us in the first place.
—James Folta, Literary Hub, 22 Oct. 2025
Like their forebears in a bygone era of Republican politics, their beliefs are defined by faith in free markets and suspicion of government meddling in society.
—David M. Drucker, Twin Cities, 19 Oct. 2025
Verb
Others have urged him to stop meddling with allies.
—Jonathan Lemire, The Atlantic, 13 Jan. 2026
New documents filed Friday in the Rose Bowl’s breach-of-contract case against UCLA that also accuses Kroenke Sports and Entertainment of meddling on behalf of SoFi Stadium revealed communication between UCLA and a top Kroenke executive dating to August 2024.
—Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 10 Jan. 2026
That does lend itself to meddling in Central and South America.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 10 Jan. 2026
And Watson’s scandal and injuries compromised the Browns’ operation, leading to an awkward 2025 NFL Draft that saw the Browns draft two QBs — Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel and Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders — with Haslam meddling heavily again.
—Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 5 Jan. 2026
Beyond the precincts of fiction, of course, the world has a way of meddling with such bonds.
—Rachel Syme, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025
Doris Roberts, who portrayed Ray's meddling mother Marie, died in 2016 at 90, following a stroke.
—Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Nov. 2025
According to Lindsay, Padberg urged her to avoid meddling and let Neal and his team work with Amazon behind closed doors.
—Sean Patrick Cooper, Rolling Stone, 24 Nov. 2025
Predictably, Mike responds to Kyle’s beating by meddling further.
—Noel Murray, Vulture, 2 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for meddling
Adjective
-
Visiting the restaurant has become an expression of the purest form of Panthers fandom — and that’s helped make this week quite busy ahead of the Panthers’ first home playoff game in 10 years.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Jan. 2026
-
Those who remain are concentrated in Venezuela’s cities, including its capital, Caracas, where the street market in the Catia neighborhood once was so busy that shoppers bumped into one another and dodged oncoming traffic.—
Regina Garcia Cano,
Fortune,
10 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
And how does a case about election interference end with taxpayers potentially paying the defense lawyers?—
Zachary Bynum,
CBS News,
14 Jan. 2026
-
Democrats have run several bills over the past few years to protect trans youth, in particular, a move that conservatives have decried as government interference with families.—
Seth Klamann,
Denver Post,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
In May 2025, an individual was arrested at the Phelps Street home on drug possession, criminal trespass and interfering charges, according to the warrant affidavit.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
7 Jan. 2026
-
In it, Roosevelt built on the Monroe Doctrine, which was formulated originally by President James Monroe to warn European powers away from interfering in the region.—
Scott Neuman,
NPR,
2 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The shelter operates near capacity, with residents typically staying three to six months while receiving wraparound services including documentation assistance, employment support and housing placement.—
Walker Armstrong,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 Jan. 2026
-
With assistance from other authorities, the maritime law enforcement agency said an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter was dispatched from Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen to perform shoreline and offshore searches north of Aguadilla.—
David Chiu,
PEOPLE,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The last two seasons have proven that the team starts off slow, which ends up messing their chances of making the playoffs.—
James Brizuela,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The fact is, in a newsroom full of meddlesome, sometimes pushy people, Beverly was none of that.—
Brad Schmitt,
Nashville Tennessean,
20 Oct. 2025
-
The special ops unit chases every lead possible, from bribes to Mexican drug cartels, a meddlesome L.A. District Attorney (Merrick McCartha) and corruption in the government of Belarus.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
25 June 2025
Noun
-
Some camcorders can connect to your PC via a USB cable and then operate as a webcam for livestreaming, online teaching or YouTube recording.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
13 Jan. 2026
-
The American Association of Medical Colleges reported 21 hospitals in Colorado participate in teaching.—
Meg Wingerter,
Denver Post,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Thornton, a vice president of strategic communications who has worked downtown for 17 years, including a decade with AIMCLEAR, was no stranger to snooping on behalf of his colleagues and his employer.—
Frederick Melo,
Twin Cities,
5 Dec. 2025
-
But snooping signals a lack of trust.—
Dr. Cortney Warren,
CNBC,
10 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Meddling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/meddling. Accessed 18 Jan. 2026.
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