as in busy
thrusting oneself where one is not welcome or invited
an officious little man who was always telling everyone else how to do their jobs
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Recent Examples of officious
As her avenging brother, Laertes, the tenor David Butt Philip is ardent; as her officious father, Polonius, the tenor William Burden avoids caricature.
—
New York Times, 15 May 2022
There's an officious young secretary, Ms. McCormack (Laurie Veldheer), to keep reminding him of that, but the thrust and parry of the fast-dancing dialogue is between Sam (huffy, preoccupied) and Karen (tizzying, agitated, eager to please).
—Leah Greenblatt, EW.com, 1 Apr. 2022
The soul of this community is local queen bee Sherry Conrad (Search Party alum Shalita Grant, the season’s MVP), an officious, controlling momfluencer with a knack for stealing the spotlight.
—Judy Berman, Time, 17 Oct. 2021
At his side is the officious Bev Keane (a chilling Samantha Sloyan, from Hill House), the prototypical timeless, ageless, practically bloodless church lady, dressed like an overgrown Girl Scout and always judging, scolding, guilting.
—Judy Berman, Time, 20 Sep. 2021
See All Example Sentences for officious
New York Times, 15 May 2022
There's an officious young secretary, Ms. McCormack (Laurie Veldheer), to keep reminding him of that, but the thrust and parry of the fast-dancing dialogue is between Sam (huffy, preoccupied) and Karen (tizzying, agitated, eager to please).
—Leah Greenblatt, EW.com, 1 Apr. 2022
The soul of this community is local queen bee Sherry Conrad (Search Party alum Shalita Grant, the season’s MVP), an officious, controlling momfluencer with a knack for stealing the spotlight.
—Judy Berman, Time, 17 Oct. 2021
At his side is the officious Bev Keane (a chilling Samantha Sloyan, from Hill House), the prototypical timeless, ageless, practically bloodless church lady, dressed like an overgrown Girl Scout and always judging, scolding, guilting.
—Judy Berman, Time, 20 Sep. 2021
See All Example Sentences for officious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for officious
Adjective
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But standing in a busy subway station, Duffy vowed to continue providing the city with federal support and confirmed the administration has not withheld funding.—
Julia Bonavita,
FOXNews.com,
5 Apr. 2025
-
After two years of busy construction, John and Mable had completed their 56-room Mediterranean Revival masterpiece in 1926, at a time when no homes of such scope existed in Sarasota.—
Thao Thai,
Southern Living,
5 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Vizio TVs reportedly show Trump immigration messaging when in standby An experience recently shared by an apparent Vizio TV owner illustrates how ads delivered via TV operating systems (OSes) can take ads from annoying to intrusive and offensive.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
1 Apr. 2025
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In some cases, the impact of technology on intimacy is even more intrusive.—
Ron Estes,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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With little more to do, Brett finds himself in constant ego clashes with his ex-wife Melissa’s (Nora Zehetner) meddlesome new husband, Connor (Josh Ventura).—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
23 Feb. 2025
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The Taliban face the poverty, internal strife, illicit crops, meddlesome neighbors, and threat of insurrections that are endemic to their country—and have proved the bane of all its rulers.—
Carter Malkasian,
Foreign Affairs,
23 Aug. 2021
Adjective
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Standing along the back wall in the Philadelphia Flyers dressing room after the game, surrounded by reporters with their obtrusive cellphone recorders just inches from his face and television cameras with their lights turned up brighter than necessary, Brink subtly, but noticeably, trembles.—
Kevin Kurz,
The Athletic,
14 Mar. 2025
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These compact boxes are cheaper, less obtrusive, and easier to install, and analysts see a bright future for them.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
31 Dec. 2013
Adjective
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Few things are as annoying as a vacuum cleaner that leaves a strip of dust by the baseboards and in the corners.—
Yelena Moroz Alpert,
Architectural Digest,
9 Apr. 2025
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Ding-dong ditched … well into adulthood—one person rang a neighbor's doorbell repeatedly just to be annoying.—
Gordon G. Chang,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Officious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/officious. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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