Prying: meaning, definitions and examples

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prying

 

[ praɪɪŋ ]

Adjective / Verb
Context #1 | Adjective

suspicious

Excessively interested in a person's private affairs; too inquisitive.

Synonyms

intrusive, meddlesome, nosy.

Which Synonym Should You Choose?

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Word Description / Examples
prying

Used to describe someone who is trying to find out private details about someone's life in a somewhat negative way.

  • He's always been prying into her personal life.
  • Her prying questions made him uncomfortable.
meddlesome

Often used to describe someone who interferes in other people's affairs in an annoying or unwanted way. It has a slightly stronger negative connotation.

  • Her meddlesome behavior is really starting to irritate everyone in the office.
  • His meddlesome aunt always had opinions on how he should live his life.
nosy

Commonly used in informal settings to describe someone who is overly curious about other people's business. It is usually negative but sometimes used in a playful way.

  • Stop being so nosy and mind your own business.
  • She was always nosy about her neighbor's activities.
intrusive

Typically used in formal or semi-formal settings to describe something that disrupts someone's privacy or personal space in an unwelcome way.

  • The reporter's questions were intrusive and made the celebrity visibly upset.
  • She found the new software updates to be intrusive.

Examples of usage

  • She was always prying into other people's business.
  • Stop prying into my personal life!
Context #2 | Verb

trying to find out something private

Intrusively curious about a person's private affairs.

Synonyms

peep, snoop, spy.

Which Synonym Should You Choose?

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Word Description / Examples
prying

Used when describing someone who is intrusively curious about people's private matters, often with a negative connotation.

  • She was prying into his personal life, asking questions no one had the right to ask
peep

Used to describe a quick or secret look, often through a small opening or from a hidden position. It often has a playful or innocent tone.

  • The children peeped through the fence to see the neighbor's new puppy
spy

Often used to describe someone who secretly watches or gathers information, sometimes for official or governmental purposes, but can also be used in more general, suspicious scenarios.

  • She felt like someone was spying on her as she walked home at night

Examples of usage

  • She was prying into his past.
  • He kept prying for information about her family.

Translations

Translations of the word "prying" in other languages:

🇵🇹 intrometido

🇮🇳 टोह लेने वाला (ṭoh lene vālā)

🇩🇪 neugierig

🇮🇩 ingin tahu

🇺🇦 допитливий

🇵🇱 wścibski

🇯🇵 詮索好き (sensaku-zuki)

🇫🇷 curieux

🇪🇸 curioso

🇹🇷 meraklı

🇰🇷 참견하는 (chamgyeonhaneun)

🇸🇦 فضولي (fuḍūlī)

🇨🇿 zvědavý

🇸🇰 zvedavý

🇨🇳 好奇 (hàoqí)

🇸🇮 radoveden

🇮🇸 forvitinn

🇰🇿 қызыққұмар (qyzıqqumar)

🇬🇪 ცნობისმოყვარე (tsnobismots'q'vare)

🇦🇿 maraq göstərən

🇲🇽 curioso

Etymology

The word 'prying' originated from the Middle English word 'pryen', meaning to peer or inquire. Over time, it evolved to its current usage in English, describing someone who is excessively interested in others' private affairs. The negative connotation of prying reflects the social norms of privacy and respect for personal boundaries.

See also: pry.

Word Frequency Rank

Positioned at #20,970, this word is part of extensive vocabulary. It's relatively rare in general usage but may be important in specific fields or formal writing.