interference
n. C / Un. the act of getting involved in a situation where you are not wanted or needed. It can also mean something that blocks or changes a signal, like a bad radio connection.
n. the act of obstructing or meddling in a process or situation; in physics, the combination of waves resulting in a new wave pattern. Often carries a negative connotation of unwelcome intrusion.
I wish they would stop their constant interference in my life.
The radio broadcast was difficult to hear because of heavy electrical interference from the nearby power lines.
The government's interference in the central bank's decision-making process raised concerns among international investors regarding the country's long-term economic stability.
From interfere + -ence. The sense in physics was likely introduced by English polymath Thomas Young, which he used as early as 1801 in a paper in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society.
Uncountable when referring to the general act of meddling; countable when referring to specific instances or physical wave interactions.
interference to the signalinterference with the signalWhen describing the act of blocking or affecting something, the noun typically takes the preposition 'with'.