adj · noun · verb · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
UK:/ˈnəʊziː/
US:nō'-zē
US:/ˈnoʊzi/
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:N OW1 Z IY0
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
adj
Meaning 1
Prying, inquisitive or curious in other’s affairs; tending to snoop or meddle.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
They built tall fences, yet the nosy neighbors always seemed to know everything about them.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
adj
Meaning 2
Having a large or elongated nose.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
A look at something to satisfy one's curiosity.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: UK, slang
Examples
I might wander down to the construction site for a nosy at what they're building.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
A nose.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: childish, rare
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
verb
Meaning 5
To pry into something.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: informal
Examples
My brother always nosies into my diary.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
6
adjective satellite
Meaning 6
offensively curious or inquisitive
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
curious about the neighbor's doings
he flipped through my letters in his nosy way
prying eyes
the snoopy neighbor watched us all day
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: nosey, prying, snoopy
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
Etymology tree English nose Proto-Indo-European *-kos Proto-Germanic *-gaz Proto-West Germanic *-g Old English -iġ Middle English -y English -y English nose Proto-Germanic *-j-, *-ij- Proto-West Germanic *-i, *-ī Old English -iġ Middle English -y English -y English nosy From nose + -y (adjectival suffix), or from nose + -y (diminutive suffix).
Across languages
Translations
79 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Arabic:
فُضُولِيّ
(fuḍūliyy)
— prying, inquisitive or curious in other’s affairs; tending to snoop or meddle
Arabic:
مَلْقوف
(malgūf)
— prying, inquisitive or curious in other’s affairs; tending to snoop or meddle
Bulgarian:
любопитен
(ljubopiten)
— prying, inquisitive or curious in other’s affairs; tending to snoop or meddle
Catalan:
dotor
— prying, inquisitive or curious in other’s affairs; tending to snoop or meddle
Catalan:
tafaner
— prying, inquisitive or curious in other’s affairs; tending to snoop or meddle
Cebuano:
ukiton
— prying, inquisitive or curious in other’s affairs; tending to snoop or meddle
Cebuano:
maukit-ukiton
— prying, inquisitive or curious in other’s affairs; tending to snoop or meddle
Chinese Mandarin:
多管閒事 /多管闲事
(duōguǎnxiánshì)
— prying, inquisitive or curious in other’s affairs; tending to snoop or meddle
Cornish:
tronek
— prying, inquisitive or curious in other’s affairs; tending to snoop or meddle
Cornish:
tron-droghya
— prying, inquisitive or curious in other’s affairs; tending to snoop or meddle
Czech:
vlezlý
— prying, inquisitive or curious in other’s affairs; tending to snoop or meddle
Czech:
vtíravý
— prying, inquisitive or curious in other’s affairs; tending to snoop or meddle
Czech:
zvědavý
— prying, inquisitive or curious in other’s affairs; tending to snoop or meddle
Czech:
slídivý
— prying, inquisitive or curious in other’s affairs; tending to snoop or meddle
Dutch:
nieuwsgierig
— prying, inquisitive or curious in other’s affairs; tending to snoop or meddle
Dutch:
curieus
— prying, inquisitive or curious in other’s affairs; tending to snoop or meddle
Esperanto:
maldiskreta
— prying, inquisitive or curious in other’s affairs; tending to snoop or meddle
Finnish:
utelias
— prying, inquisitive or curious in other’s affairs; tending to snoop or meddle
French:
fouineur
— prying, inquisitive or curious in other’s affairs; tending to snoop or meddle
French:
fureteur
— prying, inquisitive or curious in other’s affairs; tending to snoop or meddle
French:
curieux
— prying, inquisitive or curious in other’s affairs; tending to snoop or meddle
Galician:
entremetido
— prying, inquisitive or curious in other’s affairs; tending to snoop or meddle
German:
neugierig
— prying, inquisitive or curious in other’s affairs; tending to snoop or meddle
German:
topfguckerisch
— prying, inquisitive or curious in other’s affairs; tending to snoop or meddle
Hungarian:
tolakodó
— prying, inquisitive or curious in other’s affairs; tending to snoop or meddle
Hungarian:
indiszkrét
— prying, inquisitive or curious in other’s affairs; tending to snoop or meddle
Hungarian:
kotnyeles
— prying, inquisitive or curious in other’s affairs; tending to snoop or meddle
Hutterisch:
niesheerich
— prying, inquisitive or curious in other’s affairs; tending to snoop or meddle
Icelandic:
forvitinn
— prying, inquisitive or curious in other’s affairs; tending to snoop or meddle
Italian:
ficcanaso
— prying, inquisitive or curious in other’s affairs; tending to snoop or meddle
Jamaican Creole:
fass
— prying, inquisitive or curious in other’s affairs; tending to snoop or meddle
Japanese:
おせっかいな
(osekkai na)
— prying, inquisitive or curious in other’s affairs; tending to snoop or meddle
Kabuverdianu:
atrividu
— prying, inquisitive or curious in other’s affairs; tending to snoop or meddle
Kabuverdianu:
atrevide
— prying, inquisitive or curious in other’s affairs; tending to snoop or meddle
Macedonian:
љубо́питен
(ljubópiten)
— prying, inquisitive or curious in other’s affairs; tending to snoop or meddle
Macedonian:
љубо́питник
(ljubópitnik)
— prying, inquisitive or curious in other’s affairs; tending to snoop or meddle
Māori:
mahira
— prying, inquisitive or curious in other’s affairs; tending to snoop or meddle
Māori:
ihu kurī
— prying, inquisitive or curious in other’s affairs; tending to snoop or meddle
Māori:
māhirahira
— prying, inquisitive or curious in other’s affairs; tending to snoop or meddle
Norwegian Nynorsk:
forviten
— prying, inquisitive or curious in other’s affairs; tending to snoop or meddle
Persian:
فضول
(fozul)
— prying, inquisitive or curious in other’s affairs; tending to snoop or meddle
Polish:
wścibski
— prying, inquisitive or curious in other’s affairs; tending to snoop or meddle
Portuguese:
intrometido
— prying, inquisitive or curious in other’s affairs; tending to snoop or meddle
Portuguese:
cusco
— prying, inquisitive or curious in other’s affairs; tending to snoop or meddle
Portuguese:
metediço
— prying, inquisitive or curious in other’s affairs; tending to snoop or meddle
Portuguese:
coscuvelheiro
— prying, inquisitive or curious in other’s affairs; tending to snoop or meddle
Portuguese:
abelhudo
— prying, inquisitive or curious in other’s affairs; tending to snoop or meddle
Portuguese:
cusca
— prying, inquisitive or curious in other’s affairs; tending to snoop or meddle
Portuguese:
bisbilhoteiro
— prying, inquisitive or curious in other’s affairs; tending to snoop or meddle
Portuguese:
bilhardeiro
— prying, inquisitive or curious in other’s affairs; tending to snoop or meddle
Russian:
любопы́тный
(ljubopýtnyj)
— prying, inquisitive or curious in other’s affairs; tending to snoop or meddle
Slovak:
vtieravý
— prying, inquisitive or curious in other’s affairs; tending to snoop or meddle
Spanish:
chismoso
— prying, inquisitive or curious in other’s affairs; tending to snoop or meddle
Spanish:
metiche
— prying, inquisitive or curious in other’s affairs; tending to snoop or meddle
Spanish:
metido
— prying, inquisitive or curious in other’s affairs; tending to snoop or meddle
Spanish:
metijón
— prying, inquisitive or curious in other’s affairs; tending to snoop or meddle
Spanish:
metomentodo
— prying, inquisitive or curious in other’s affairs; tending to snoop or meddle
Spanish:
entremetido
— prying, inquisitive or curious in other’s affairs; tending to snoop or meddle
Spanish:
cotilla
— prying, inquisitive or curious in other’s affairs; tending to snoop or meddle
Spanish:
entrometido
— prying, inquisitive or curious in other’s affairs; tending to snoop or meddle
Swedish:
nyfiken
— prying, inquisitive or curious in other’s affairs; tending to snoop or meddle
Turkish:
meraklı bakkal
— prying, inquisitive or curious in other’s affairs; tending to snoop or meddle
Vietnamese:
lắm chuyện
— prying, inquisitive or curious in other’s affairs; tending to snoop or meddle
Vietnamese:
nhiều chuyện
— prying, inquisitive or curious in other’s affairs; tending to snoop or meddle
Vietnamese:
đa sự
— prying, inquisitive or curious in other’s affairs; tending to snoop or meddle
Vietnamese:
đa đoan
— prying, inquisitive or curious in other’s affairs; tending to snoop or meddle
Vietnamese:
thọc mạch
— prying, inquisitive or curious in other’s affairs; tending to snoop or meddle
Welsh:
busneslyd
— prying, inquisitive or curious in other’s affairs; tending to snoop or meddle
Czech:
nosatý
— having a large nose
Finnish:
isonenäinen
— having a large nose
Polish:
nosaty
— having a large nose
Russian:
носатый
(nosatyj)
— having a large nose
Slovak:
nosatý
— having a large nose
Spanish:
narigudo
— having a large nose
Spanish:
narigón
— having a large nose
Spanish:
narizotas (despective)
— having a large nose
