Word Adjective
nosy
adj.
B2 Upper Intermediate US /ˈnoʊzi/ UK /nˈəʊzi/ nosy
Definition
adj.interested in other people's private lives or business. You use this to describe someone who asks too many questions about things that do not concern them.
adj.interested in or prying into the private affairs of others. Often carries a slightly negative or disapproving tone when describing a person's behavior.
Examples
“She is very nosy and always asks about my personal life.”
“The neighbors were quite nosy, asking me about the new furniture I bought last weekend.”
“While some might view his curiosity as a positive trait, others found him overly nosy, as he seemed to know every detail of his colleagues' personal schedules.”
Etymology
From nose + -y.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
This entry
Level B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency Occasional
Updated