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prying

adjective
pry·​ing | \ ˈprÄ«-iÅ‹ How to pronounce prying (audio) \

Definition of prying

: inquisitive in an annoying, officious, or meddlesome way
Other Words from prying Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym Example Sentences Learn More about prying

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Other Words from prying

pryingly adverb

Synonyms & Antonyms for prying

Synonyms

curious, inquisitive, nosy (or nosey), snoopy

Antonyms

incurious, uncurious

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Choose the Right Synonym for prying

curious, inquisitive, prying mean interested in what is not one's personal or proper concern. curious, a neutral term, basically connotes an active desire to learn or to know. children are curious about everything inquisitive suggests impertinent and habitual curiosity and persistent quizzing. dreaded the visits of their inquisitive relatives prying implies busy meddling and officiousness. prying neighbors who refuse to mind their own business

Examples of prying in a Sentence

She tried to escape the prying eyes of her neighbors. as we moved into our new home, we could sense that there were prying eyes watching us

Recent Examples on the Web

 Carry two phones While anti-spy software may be effective in staving off the prying eyes of the Chinese government, not everyone knows how to install it. — Jane Li, Quartz, "How people in China are trying to evade Beijing’s digital surveillance," 6 Aug. 2019 Its purpose: to train librarians to implement secure protocols on their own web services, and to teach members of the community to evade the prying eyes of governments, corporations, and criminal hackers. — Eoin O'carroll, The Christian Science Monitor, "How these librarians are changing how we think about digital privacy," 18 Oct. 2017 One reason Russians have loaded up on passports is that Cypriot citizenship helps them avoid the prying eyes of their government and pay lower taxes. — Yalman Onaran, Bloomberg.com, "EU Passports for Sale in Cyprus Lure Rich Russians," 11 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'prying.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of prying

1552, in the meaning defined above

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More Definitions for prying

prying

adjective
How to pronounce prying (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of prying

: trying to find out about other people's private lives

See the full definition for prying in the English Language Learners Dictionary

prying

adjective
pry·​ing | \ ˈprÄ«-iÅ‹\

Kids Definition of prying

: rudely nosy prying questions

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More from Merriam-Webster on prying

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for prying

Nglish: Translation of prying for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of prying for Arabic Speakers

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