Meaning & use
gadfly
A person who persistently annoys or provokes others, especially by criticizing accepted beliefs or authority.
See it in a sentence
The columnist earned a reputation as a gadfly, constantly questioning the mayor's decisions.
Socrates saw himself as a gadfly, stinging Athens into examining its own assumptions.
A note on using this word
Gadfly originally named a biting fly that irritates livestock; the figurative sense keeps that irritating, provoking quality.
Words with a similar meaning
criticprovocateur
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “gadfly”, then compare your use with the examples above.
Your draft stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.