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We don't want a busybody government - a boss - that butts into our lives every chance it gets to tell us how to work, how to play, where to live and on and on.
Sonny Perdue

Meaning of "busybody" in the English dictionary

Dictionary
DICTIONARY
section

PRONUNCIATION OF BUSYBODY

busybody  [ˈbɪzɪˌbɒdɪ] play
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GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF BUSYBODY

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Busybody is a noun.
A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

WHAT DOES BUSYBODY MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Busybody

A busybody, do-gooder, meddler or marplot is someone who meddles in the affairs of others. An early study of the type was made by the ancient Greek philosopher Theophrastus in his typology, Characters, "In the proffered services of the busybody there is much of the affectation of kind-heartedness, and little efficient aid." Susanna Centlivre wrote a successful play, The Busie Body, which was first performed in 1709 and has been revived repeatedly since. It is a farce in which Marplot interferes in the romantic affairs of his friends and, despite being well-meaning, frustrates them. The characterisation of Marplot as a busybody whose "chief pleasure is knowing everybody's business" was so popular that they appeared as the title character in a sequel, Marplot. The name is a pun — mar / plot — and passed into the language as an eponym or personification of this type. In English law, the doctrine of locus standi requires that a plaintiff have some connection with the matter being contested.

Definition of busybody in the English dictionary

The definition of busybody in the dictionary is a meddlesome, prying, or officious person.

WORDS THAT RHYME WITH BUSYBODY


afterbody
ˈɑːftəˌbɒdɪ
alloantibody
ˈæləʊˌæntɪˌbɒdɪ
antibody
ˈæntɪˌbɒdɪ
anybody
ˈɛnɪˌbɒdɪ
autoantibody
ˌɔːtəʊˈæntɪˌbɒdɪ
blackbody
ˈblækˌbɒdɪ
body
ˈbɒdɪ
coembody
ˌkəʊɪmˈbɒdɪ
disembody
ˌdɪsɪmˈbɒdɪ
dogsbody
ˈdɒɡzˌbɒdɪ
embody
ɪmˈbɒdɪ
everybody
ˈɛvrɪˌbɒdɪ
forebody
ˈfɔːˌbɒdɪ
homebody
ˈhəʊmˌbɒdɪ
isoantibody
ˌaɪsəʊˈæntɪˌbɒdɪ
Peabody
ˈpiːˌbɒdɪ
rebody
riːˈbɒdɪ
reembody
ˌriːɪmˈbɒdɪ
underbody
ˈʌndəˌbɒdɪ
unibody
ˈjuːnɪˌbɒdɪ

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE BUSYBODY

busticate
bustier
bustiest
bustiness
bustle
bustler
bustline
bustling
bustlingly
busty
busulfan
busuuti
busy
busy bee
busy Lizzie
busy signal
busybodies
busybodying
busyness
busywork

WORDS THAT END LIKE BUSYBODY

all-metal body
black body
celestial body
ciliary body
fat body
foreign body
governing body
grey body
heavenly body
inclusion body
lifting body
monoclonal antibody
nobody
parent body
review body
ruling body
somebody
statutory body
upper body
wide-body

Synonyms and antonyms of busybody in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

SYNONYMS OF «BUSYBODY»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «busybody» and belong to the same grammatical category.
synonyms of busybody

Translation of «busybody» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF BUSYBODY

Find out the translation of busybody to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of busybody from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «busybody» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

爱管闲事
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

entrometida
570 millions of speakers

English

busybody
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

व्यस्त
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

الفضولي
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

хлопотун
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

intrometido
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

অনধিকারচর্চাকারী
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

mouche du coche
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

penyibuk
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

Wichtigtuer
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

おせっかい焼き
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

바쁘게
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Sibuk
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

gián điệp
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

அவசர
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

व्यस्त व्यक्ती
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

işgüzar kimse
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

ficcanaso
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

wścibska
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

клопотун
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

băgăcios
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

αλλοτριοπραγμών
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

bemoeial
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

beskäftig
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

busybody
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of busybody

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «BUSYBODY»

The term «busybody» is regularly used and occupies the 57.161 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Regularly used
74
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «busybody» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of busybody
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «busybody».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «BUSYBODY» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «busybody» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «busybody» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about busybody

EXAMPLES

2 QUOTES WITH «BUSYBODY»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word busybody.
1
Sonny Perdue
We don't want a busybody government - a boss - that butts into our lives every chance it gets to tell us how to work, how to play, where to live and on and on.
2
George Takei
I'm a civic busybody and I've been blessed with an active career.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «BUSYBODY»

Discover the use of busybody in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to busybody and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
Busybody Nora
A newly illustrated version of a popular chapter book relates the adventures of an inquisitive little girl who lives in a large apartment building in New York with her parents and little brother Teddy. Reprint.
Johanna Hurwitz, 2009
2
Blessed Is The Busybody
Meet the unconventional Aggie Sloan-Wilcox, a minister's wife with her own calling: helping troubled souls in need of justice.
Emilie Richards, 2005
3
The Busybody Buddha
Rutledge has mined the mysterious elements of an untamed island to produce a story which is both whimsical and enchanting.
Margie Rutledge, 2002
4
Busybody Exercises for Bodies Too Busy to Exercise
Harris takes a humorous approachby turning everyday actions into exercises that work. Although the exercises use ordinary activities, they are all based on sound exercise theory.
Ricky Harris, 2002
5
Busybody: A Comedy in Three Acts
All Groups / Mystery Characters: 4 males, 4 females Scenery: Interior This hilarious play centers on a voluble cleaning woman who keeps telling the cops how to mind their business and who steps forward with the right evidence in every pinch ...
Jack Popplewell, 1965
6
Busybody Brandy
Brandy, a farm dog, is busy day and night.
Jessie Haas, 1994
7
Busybody Nora
Novel-Ties study guides contain reproducible pages in a chapter by chapter format to accompany a work of literature of the same title.
Joyce Friedland, Rikki Kessler, 1982
8
Say Goodbye to Shame: And 77 Other Stories of Hope and ...
Have you ever considered what a busybody and a murderer have in common? Well, God allowed Peter (are you not surprised it was Peter?!) to write about not being ashamed of suffering for doing good. Then Peter wrote the comparison of ...
Jackie Kendall, 2004
9
Deviance and Crime in Colleges and Universities: What Goes ...
Busybody is one of those deviant faculty members who entertains the notion that her role is far beyond what it actually is. While no one could “prove” that any of the e-mails from anonymous students were written or advocated by her, certainly  ...
Mark Hickson, Julian B. Roebuck, 2009
10
Tiny Terror: Why Truman Capote (Almost) Wrote Answered Prayers
The key detail is not the story's subject—Mr. or Mrs. Busybody—or the subject's inspiration. What is truly significant is the reaction Capote imagined. The work “ upset people.” The response was “ghastly.” A scandal ensued. Neighbors talked.
William Todd Schultz, 2011

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «BUSYBODY»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term busybody is used in the context of the following news items.
1
Floyd: Being on 'wrong side of history' isn't something to take pride in
... a tireless professional busybody who was supported by wealthy businessmen in her crusades against civil rights, modern art, popular novels ... «Dallas Morning News, Jul 15»
2
Andy Garcia Joins Paul Feig's Ghostbusters
Could he be the usual busybody who gets in the Ghostbusters' way? If so, he'll be joining a proud lineage that includes actors William Atherton ... «Empire Online, Jul 15»
3
ARRRGH! Bed-Wetting Tourist Gets Pirate Arrested For Firing …
... arrested for disturbing the peace Monday night after a pants-wetting busybody called 911 after Speiring fired a couple of powder charges. «Bearing Arms, Jul 15»
4
DON'T BE A BUSYBODY, DR M: Let Umno fail, flounder & die...
We met once a long time ago. You were giving a speech to students in Cambridge in the UK. I was the eager first question asker who ... «Malaysia Chronicle, Jul 15»
5
At The Phipps Center for the Arts
Haas recently appeared as Mrs. Webb in The Phipps production of “Our Town,” the busybody neighbor in “Twas the Night Before Christmas,” ... «Stillwater Gazette, Jul 15»
6
Fill their heads with words and fire their imagination
Our eponymous heroine, a busybody who thinks she can solve everyone's problems, often ends up needing help from her friends. From the ... «Irish Independent, Jul 15»
7
Low-income apartments going up in Pleasant Grove spur hopes, fears
He said he wants “busybody neighbors,” and he hopes the city will crack down on code issues. “We're going to take our neighborhood back, ... «Dallas Morning News, Jul 15»
8
Measure for Measure, Shakespeare's Globe, London
There's much levity in Brendan O'Hea's camp busybody Lucio, Dean Nolan's clownish constable Elbow, and even Rowan's disguised ... «Financial Times, Jul 15»
9
Gemma Bovery is a small sensual movie with big things on its mind
Meanwhile, her relentless eavesdropping neighbor officially transforms himself into a wretched, meddling busybody all to keep her from a life ... «Buffalo.com, Jul 15»
10
Theater review: Excellent acting characterizes "The Spitfire Grill" at …
... self-effacing Shelby (Kelly Watt) find a backbone, and stood up to local busybody Effy (Nancy Van Fleet, making the most of a huffy role). «The Denver Post, Jul 15»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Busybody [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/busybody>. May 2024 ».
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