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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of meddling
Rebecca Angel Baer, Southern Living, 29 Jan. 2026
Sophie Spiegelberger, New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2026
When in doubt, Avgitidis reminds daters that good old-fashioned meddling from family and friends is always an option.
—Lauren Fichten, CBS News, 14 Feb. 2026
Thus the grab-bag approach of anything that might sniff of cost-reduction, including price controls and market meddling.
—Abby McCloskey, Twin Cities, 30 Jan. 2026
In the Tokyo context, it’s believed that silence on such matters actually helps to protect the BOJ from political meddling.
—William Pesek, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026
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
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 7 Feb. 2026
The league has enough meddling owners and microphone fiends.
—Jerry Brewer, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026
All's fair in love and war — an idiom that Cressida (second from left, played by Jessica Madsen) and her meddling mama would do well to remember while courting the Prince!
—Sophie Dodd, PEOPLE, 29 Jan. 2026
Instead of meddling in the permitting process, the president should send a recovery package to Congress to help families rebuild, Newsom said, citing a letter from a bipartisan delegation of California legislators that called for federal funding.
—Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, 27 Jan. 2026
Others have urged him to stop meddling with allies.
—Jonathan Lemire, The Atlantic, 13 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
Adjective
Practical, traditional and somewhat meddling, Aunt Maysilee places importance on societal norms.
—Rebecca Angel Baer, Southern Living, 29 Jan. 2026
Noun
Google has not been banned outright, though Google Maps is sometimes disrupted by government meddling.
—Sophie Spiegelberger, New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2026
When in doubt, Avgitidis reminds daters that good old-fashioned meddling from family and friends is always an option.
—Lauren Fichten, CBS News, 14 Feb. 2026
Thus the grab-bag approach of anything that might sniff of cost-reduction, including price controls and market meddling.
—Abby McCloskey, Twin Cities, 30 Jan. 2026
In the Tokyo context, it’s believed that silence on such matters actually helps to protect the BOJ from political meddling.
—William Pesek, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026
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
Verb
Williams, 40, faces a whisper campaign of criticism for communication lapses, meddling in police operations, and filling jobs with former colleagues from her previous employer, Miami Beach.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 7 Feb. 2026
The league has enough meddling owners and microphone fiends.
—Jerry Brewer, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026
All's fair in love and war — an idiom that Cressida (second from left, played by Jessica Madsen) and her meddling mama would do well to remember while courting the Prince!
—Sophie Dodd, PEOPLE, 29 Jan. 2026
Instead of meddling in the permitting process, the president should send a recovery package to Congress to help families rebuild, Newsom said, citing a letter from a bipartisan delegation of California legislators that called for federal funding.
—Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, 27 Jan. 2026
Others have urged him to stop meddling with allies.
—Jonathan Lemire, The Atlantic, 13 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for meddling
Adjective
-
Breakfast is a busy affair, but those in signature suites can eat in the lounge (soon to be renovated but with a great view) or order room service.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
22 Feb. 2026
-
Soundstages in Los Angeles would be busy, thousands of people would be working in those few months early in the year, producing shows that ranged from all-time classics to all-time blunders.—
Rick Porter,
HollywoodReporter,
21 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The overall trajectory represents movement toward authoritarianism and democratic erosion, with scapegoating of Black, brown, and immigrant communities serving as justification for expanding federal power and potential election interference.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Feb. 2026
-
Lawyers representing What-A-Burger #13 and its owner, Zeb Bost, fired back that Whataburger broke a previous, decades-old agreement first with the Bost family that would allow the North Carolina business to operate without interference in Stanly and Cabarrus counties.—
Heidi Finley,
Charlotte Observer,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
In a statement early Thursday evening, the mayor’s office denied interfering in the search process, saying Johnson has not been presented with any candidates so far.—
Kate Armanini,
Chicago Tribune,
12 Feb. 2026
-
Hong Kong officials have defended the independence of the local judicial system, which is separate from that of mainland China, and accused foreign governments of interfering in internal affairs.—
Jennifer Jett,
NBC news,
8 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The war has torn up a fifth of the country, but even with scant, erratic assistance, Ukrainians must emerge from the dust, to be applauded by the West, and go it close-to-alone again.—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
24 Feb. 2026
-
Exceeding that threshold, or cliff, by even $1 disqualifies families such as Wright-Pierce's from any premium assistance.—
Greg Iacurci,
CNBC,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Other concerns presented by the group were about animals coming through and messing with the trash cans.—
Ashley J. DiMella,
FOXNews.com,
16 Feb. 2026
-
Now Rob is messing with another one of Candiace’s friends, and Candiace is ready to blow up the whole turret over it.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
4 Feb. 2026
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
-
Rose said that while the courts might ultimately conclude Mejia’s and Smith’s comments are constitutionally protected, that fact doesn’t diminish the state’s interest in policing the teaching profession without federal interference.—
Clark Kauffman,
Iowa Capital Dispatch,
27 Feb. 2026
-
March 14, for men of all ages to gather in a morning of worship, community and teaching.—
Post-Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Feb. 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 28 Feb. 2026.
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