OFFICIOUS

interfering, meddlesome, meddling, officious, busy, busybodied

(adjective) intrusive in a meddling or offensive manner; “an interfering old woman”; “bustling about self-importantly making an officious nuisance of himself”; “busy about other people’s business”

Source: WordNet® 3.1

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Etymology

Adjective

officious (comparative more officious, superlative most officious)

(obsolete) Obliging, attentive, eager to please.

Offensively intrusive or interfering in offering advice and services.

Usage notes

Readers guessing the meaning of the word officious from context have sometimes guessed that it referred to the excessive bureaucratic formality of officialdom, but its connection to office, official, and the Latin officium (“service”) is with the kindly and solicitous aspect thereof rather than with the bureaucratic chill. Thus officious is not to be confused with punctilious.

Source: Wiktionary

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Of*fi"cious, a. Etym: [L. officiosus: cf.F. officieux. See Office.]

1. Pertaining to, or being in accordance with, duty. [R.] If there were any lie in the case, it could be no more than as officious and venial one. Note on Gen. xxvii. (Douay version).

2. Disposed to serve; kind; obliging. [Archaic] Yet not to earth are those bright luminaries Officious. Milton. They were tolerably well bred, very officious, humane, and hospitable. Burke.

3. Importunately interposing services; intermeddling in affairs in which one has no concern; meddlesome. You are too officious In her behalf that scorns your services. Shak.

Syn.

– Impertinent; meddling. See Impertinent.

– Of*fi"cious*ly, adv.

– Of*fi"cious*ness, n.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition

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