nosy
NOH-zee
/ˈnəʊ.zi/
Showing too much curiosity about other people's affairs.
Exclusively negative and informal. Describes people who pry into private matters that do not concern them.
The story behind the word. Derived directly from the physical nose. Poking your nose into someone else's business created the early 19th-century slang term 'nosy'.
Word relationships
- prying: Prying is slightly more serious and descriptive of the action of peering into privacy.
- snooping: Snooping implies sneaky physical searching or listening.
- unobtrusive: Unobtrusive means staying out of the way and not drawing attention.
- discreet: Discreet means careful and cautious in keeping private matters secret.
Commonly confused with
- observant: Observant notices facts without being disrespectful; nosy aggressively invades personal space.
Word family
- nosiness (noun): An intrusive or overly inquisitive disposition.
Collocations
- nosy neighbor
- nosy parker
- get nosy
- nosy questions
Idioms & expressions
- poke your nose into something
Example sentences
- "The nosy neighbor kept a pair of binoculars on her windowsill to watch everyone on the street." Neighborhood life
- "I didn't want to sound nosy, but I couldn't help asking why the director resigned so suddenly." Office banter
Memory hook
A NOSY person sticks their NOSE where it doesn't belong. Keep your nose out of it.
When not to use
Do not use in formal academic or legal writing; use 'intrusive' or 'meddlesome' instead.
Fun facts
- The British idiom 'Nosy Parker' likely originated in the early 20th century, possibly referencing Archbishop Matthew Parker, who was known for his probing church inquiries.
Related words
Take your vocabulary further with LangBlitz
Our English vocabulary app: FSRS spaced repetition, 5,000+ curated words across 119 topic groups, CEFR A1 to C2. Explore your mastery with the beautiful Vocabulary World feature.