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• withdrawn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

This succession was muddied thanks to the meddling of the King’s Hand, Otto Hightower, and the king’s own mumbled words on his deathbed to his wife, Alicent. — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 20 June 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

Ultrabillionaire Jeff Bezos on Wednesday hyped artificial intelligence, blamed government meddling for economic woes and broadly defended himself and his mega-rich peers in an exclusive interview with CNBC. — Kevin Breuninger,annie Palmer, CNBC, 20 May 2026

Kennedy’s move to reshape the CDC panel—the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, or ACIP—came amid Kennedy’s many other attempts to undermine it, as well as a court order to undo that meddling. — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 19 May 2026

To suggest that there would be any weird nefarious meddling here, okay? — Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 15 May 2026

Nebraska Democrats decried his last-minute candidacy as an example of the GOP meddling in their primary with a scheme to siphon votes away from Osborn in the fall. — Michael Loria, USA Today, 13 May 2026

On Tuesday, the New York Times reported that the Congressional Leadership Fund is one of two Republican super PACs meddling in Democratic congressional primaries across the country to promote more progressive candidates. — Mathew Miranda may 13, Sacbee.com, 13 May 2026

Verb

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

Unlike polling, which is not typically prone to the same kind of meddling by campaigns, betting on one’s own campaign could ultimately change voters’ minds regarding the viability of a candidate. — Matt Motta, The Conversation, 16 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

And a nod to president of baseball operations and general manager Alex Anthopoulos for not meddling with the lineup — and having the smarts to trade for Dubón in the first place. — Ken Sugiura, AJC.com, 6 June 2026

The narrator’s family has moved to an affluent part of Bengaluru, and their attempts to head off meddling outsiders are at times subtle, at times pugnacious, but always hilarious. — The Week Us, TheWeek, 27 May 2026

Adam’s devious plan and meddling soon sets everything, and everyone, spiraling out of control. — Pete Hammond, Deadline, 14 May 2026

However, life soon started meddling in her plans. — Juan A. Ramírez, Vogue, 8 May 2026