officious - Definitions from Dictionary.com

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Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

of·fi·cious

Audio Help [uh-fish-uh

s] Pronunciation Key

–adjective

1.	objectionably aggressive in offering one's unrequested and unwanted services, help, or advice; meddlesome: an officious person.

2.	marked by or proceeding from such forwardness: officious interference.

3.	Obsolete. ready to serve; obliging.

[Origin: 1555–65; < L officiōsus obliging, dutiful, equiv. to offici(um) office + -ōsus -ous

]

—Related forms

of·fi·cious·ly, adverb

of·fi·cious·ness, noun

—Synonyms 1. interfering, meddling.

—Antonyms 1. retiring.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
officious

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

of·fi·cious Audio Help (ə-fĭsh'əs) Pronunciation Key
adj.

Marked by excessive eagerness in offering unwanted services or advice to others: an officious host; officious attention.
Informal; unofficial.
Archaic Eager to render services or help others.

[Latin officiōsus, obliging, dutiful, from officium, duty; see office.]

of·fi'cious·ly adv., of·fi'cious·ness n.

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Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
officious

1565, "zealous, eager to serve," from L. officiosus "dutiful," from officium "duty, service" (see office). Sense of "meddlesome, doing more than is asked or required" had emerged by 1600 (in officiously). An officious lie (1577) is one told to do good to another person (from L. mendocium officiosum or Fr. mensonge officieux).

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

officious
adjective
intrusive in a meddling or offensive manner; "an interfering old woman"; "bustling about self-importantly making an officious nuisance of himself"; "busy about other people's business" [syn: interfering]

Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
officious [əˈfiʃəs] adjective

offering help etc in order to interfere
Example: His mother-in-law is so officious that he does not let her visit his house.

Arabic:	فُضولي، كَثير التَّدَخُّل، عارِضٌ لِنصائِح غَيْر مَرْ
Chinese (Simplified):	好管闲事的
Chinese (Traditional):	好管閑事的
Czech:	všetečný
Danish:	geskæftig
Dutch:	bemoeiziek
Estonian:	üliagar
Finnish:	holhoava
French:	trop empressé
German:	aufdringlich
Greek:	παρεμβατικός, φορτικός, αυταρχικός
Hungarian:	fontoskodó
Icelandic:	afskiptasamur
Indonesian:	suka ikut campur
Italian:	invadente

Japanese:	おせっかいな
Korean:	주제넘게 나서는
Latvian:	uzbāzīgs; pārlieku izpalīdzīgs
Lithuanian:	įkyriai paslaugus, per daug įkyrus
Norwegian:	geskjeftig, overivrig
Polish:	narzucający się, natrętny
Portuguese (Brazil):	intrometido
Portuguese (Portugal):	intrometido
Romanian:	(excesiv de) atent
Russian:	навязчивый, назойливый
Slovak:	všetečný
Slovenian:	vsiljivo uslužen
Spanish:	oficioso
Swedish:	beskäftig, beställsam
Turkish:	işgüzar

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Officious

Im*per"ti*nent\, a. [F., fr. L. impertinens, -entis; pref. im- not + pertinens. See Pertinent.]

1. Not pertinent; not pertaining to the matter in hand; having no bearing on the subject; not to the point; irrelevant; inapplicable.

Things that are impertinent to us. --Tillotson.

How impertinent that grief was which served no end! --Jer. Taylor.

2. Contrary to, or offending against, the rules of propriety or good breeding; guilty of, or prone to, rude, unbecoming, or uncivil words or actions; as, an impertient coxcomb; an impertient remark.

3. Trifing; inattentive; frivolous.

Syn: Rude; officious; intrusive; saucy; unmannerly; meddlesome; disrespectful; impudent; insolent.

Usage: Impertinent, Officious, Rude. A person is officious who obtrudes his offices or assistance where they are not needed; he is impertinent when he intermeddles in things with which he has no concern. The former shows a want of tact, the latter a want of breeding, or, more commonly, a spirit of sheer impudence. A person is rude when he violates the proprieties of social life either from ignorance or wantonness. "An impertinent man will ask questions for the mere grafication of curiosity; a rude man will burst into the room of another, or push against his person, inviolant of all decorum; one who is officious is quite as unfortunate as he is troublesome; when he strives to serve, he has the misfortune to annoy." --Crabb. See Impudence, and Insolent.

Dictionary.com Word of the Day Archive - Cite This Source - Share This

officious

officious was Word of the Day on September 29, 2000.

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