busybody

[ biz-ee-bod-ee ]
See synonyms for busybody on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural bus·y·bod·ies.
  1. a person who pries into or meddles in the affairs of others.

Origin of busybody

1
First recorded in 1520–30; busy + body

Other words for busybody

Words Nearby busybody

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use busybody in a sentence

  • But this was risky; it would bring him in view of a kitchen window whence some busybody might observe him.

    The Wrong Twin | Harry Leon Wilson
  • She vaguely knew this lady for a busybody, but she was in a situation which even busybodies might alleviate.

  • They may support you, or they may call you an interfering busybody for your pains; you'll have to take your chance of that.

British Dictionary definitions for busybody

busybody

/ (ˈbɪzɪˌbɒdɪ) /


nounplural -bodies
  1. a meddlesome, prying, or officious person

Derived forms of busybody

  • busybodying, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012