Meaning & use
to be nosy
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Meaning
phraselinkinginformaldisapproving
to be too interested in other people's private lives and ask questions that are not your business.
Grammar: Used with the verb be: 'She is nosy.' It describes a person's habit, not a single action.
Patterns
- be nosy about something
- be nosy about someone
- be a nosy neighbor
My new neighbor is really nosy and always asks how much I paid for things.
Don't be so nosy; it's none of your business what I do on weekends.
She's nosy about her coworkers' salaries, which makes everyone uncomfortable.
Word forms
| comparative | nosier |
|---|---|
| superlative | nosiest |
| noun | nosiness |
Common combinations
- be nosy about
- He's always nosy about what his friends earn.
- a nosy neighbor
- A nosy neighbor watched every car that came down the street.
- don't be nosy
- Don't be nosy; just let them handle their own problems.
- get nosy
- She got nosy and started reading his text messages.
Synonyms and how they differ
- curious
- Curious can be positive or neutral, meaning you want to learn; nosy is negative and means you pry into private matters.
- prying
- Prying is stronger and focuses on the act of asking private questions, while nosy describes the person's general character.
Opposites
Word family
- nosiness noun
- The quality of being too interested in other people's private lives.
- nosily adverb
- In a way that shows too much interest in private matters.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'nosy' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Nosy' is an adjective describing a person who pries into others' business, so 'She is nosy about...' is correct. The other options use 'nosy' as a noun, verb, or with the wrong grammatical pattern.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “to be nosy”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.