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officious

 
Dictionary: of·fi·cious   (ə-fĭsh'əs) pronunciation
adj.
  1. Marked by excessive eagerness in offering unwanted services or advice to others: an officious host; officious attention.
  2. Informal; unofficial.
  3. Archaic. Eager to render services or help others.

[Latin officiōsus, obliging, dutiful, from officium, duty. See office.]

officiously of·fi'cious·ly adv.
officiousness of·fi'cious·ness n.

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Wordsmith Words: officious
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(o-fish-uhs)

adjective
1. Excessively eager in offering unwanted or unneeded advice or help.
2. Unofficial.

Etymology
From Latin officiosus (dutiful), from officium (service).

Usage
"It (the petition) demands that the traffic officials of Grahamstown `return to being polite public servants, working for the good and safety of the community, rather than the rude and officious revenue officers they have become...'" — Cecile Greyling, Teacher Launches Petition Against Traffic Department Repression, East Cape News (Grahamstown, South Africa), June 13, 2002.

"The bough of cherries some officious fool Broke in the orchard for her, the white mule." — Robert Browning, My Last Duchess, 1842.


Thesaurus: officious
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adjective

    Given to intruding in other people's affairs: interfering, intrusive, meddlesome, meddling, obtrusive. See participate/abstain.

Antonyms: officious
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adj

Definition: self-important, dictatorial
Antonyms: modest, self-effacing, shy, timid


Word Tutor: officious
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pronunciation

IN BRIEF: Too eager to help where one is not needed.

pronunciation No tyranny is so irksome as petty tyranny: the officious demands of policemen, government clerks, and electromechanical gadgets. — Edward Abbey (1927-1989), American writer and radical environmentalist.

Translations: Officious
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Dansk (Danish)
adj. - tjenstivrig, geskæftig, overlegen, officiøs, uformel

Nederlands (Dutch)
agressief autoritair, bemoeiziek, officieus

Français (French)
adj. - trop empressé, zélé

Deutsch (German)
adj. - übereifrig

Ελληνική (Greek)
adj. - αυταρχικός, που επιδεικνύει υπερβολικό ζήλο, αλαζονικός, υπερφίαλος, υπερβολικά περιποιητικός

Italiano (Italian)
ufficioso

Português (Portuguese)
adj. - oficioso, de fonte oficial sem ser oficial

Русский (Russian)
назойливый, неофициальный

Español (Spanish)
adj. - oficioso, entrometido

Svenska (Swedish)
adj. - beskäftig, fjäskig, halvofficiell

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
多管闲事的, 非官方的

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
adj. - 多管閒事的, 非官方的

한국어 (Korean)
adj. - 참견하기 좋아하는, 비공식의, 호의적인

日本語 (Japanese)
adj. - おせっかいな, さしでがましい, 非公式の

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(صفه) فضولي, غير رسمي‏

עברית (Hebrew)
adj. - ‮שתלטן, להוט להציע שירותיו, כופה את עצמו, מתערב, משיא עצות, בדיפלומטיה: לא-רשמי‬


 
 
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Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
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