ENGLISH
REFERENCE

bossy

adj.
B1 Intermediate US //ˈbɔsi// UK //bˈɒsi// bossy Archaic Informal

adj. behaving in a way that makes you seem like you want to control everything. You use this to describe someone who tells other people what to do too much.

adj. behaving in a manner that suggests a desire to control or dominate others. Often used to describe a person's personality or a specific behavior that is perceived as overbearing.


SIMPLE

She is very bossy and always tells me what to do.

CONTEXTUAL

My younger brother is quite bossy when he plays with his friends, even though he is only six.

COMPLEX

While her bossy nature can be frustrating for her colleagues, it is precisely this drive that makes her an effective leader in high-pressure environments.

Synonyms
Etymology 1

From boss + -y.

Etymology 2

Diminutive of dialectal English boss + -y, as used in the term boss-calf (which, like buss-calf, is a variant form of boose-calf, a calf kept in a boose (“stall”)).

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