nosiness

IPA/ˈnəʊzinəs/
KK[nˈozinəs]IPA/ˈnəʊzinəs/

nosiness — noun

1. the habit of trying to find out private information about other people, especial

1.nounC1
Definition

the habit of trying to find out private information about other people, especially when they do not want you to know it

Example

Putri's nosiness annoyed her colleagues when she kept reading emails on their desks.

possessive determiner + nosiness as subject

Samir's nosiness got him into trouble after he asked about his boss's divorce.

collocation: nosiness + got [sb] into trouble

Common collocations
  • sheer nosiness
  • pure nosiness
  • nosiness about
  • annoyed by sb's nosiness
  • fed up with sb's nosiness
Synonyms
  • curiosity

    neutral or positive; nosiness is always negative

  • inquisitiveness

    more formal; can be neutral or negative depending on context

  • prying

    suggests active interference rather than just a tendency

  • intrusiveness

    focuses on crossing personal boundaries rather than the act of asking

Antonyms
  • discretion

    the quality of being careful not to reveal or seek private information

  • reserve

    keeping one's thoughts and feelings to oneself

Grammar Patterns

possessive determiner + nosiness

nosiness + about + noun phrase

Usage Note

Often appears with a possessive determiner (her nosiness, their nosiness) to describe a character flaw. The adjective 'nosy' (also 'nosey') is far more common than the noun in everyday speech.

Common Mistakes

His nosiness about science led him to become a professor.
His curiosity about science led him to become a professor.
'Nosiness' only refers to prying into other people's private affairs, not a general interest in knowledge.

Word family

  • nosy
    adjectiveB1
  • nosey
    adjectiveB1
  • nosily
    adverbC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All five words describe a desire to learn about something, but they differ sharply in tone. Nosiness is purely negative: it judges someone for meddling in matters that are not their concern. Curiosity is broad and neutral — it can describe a scientist exploring a problem or a child asking endless questions. Inquisitiveness leans formal and slightly academic; it may be neutral or mildy negative depending on the context. Prying suggests an active, repeated behaviour of sneaking into private matters rather than a stable personality trait. Intrusiveness focuses on the effect on others — crossing a boundary or invading someone's personal space. For example: a journalist's 'curiosity' about a public figure is part of the job; the same behaviour from a neighbour is 'nosiness' or 'prying'; and if they walk into your garden uninvited, that is 'intrusiveness'.

nosiness ↗curiosity ↗inquisitiveness ↗prying ↗intrusiveness

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

  • nosily

Phrases

  • sheer nosiness
  • act of nosiness
  • out of nosiness

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

From 'nosy' (also spelled 'nosey'), which comes from 'nose' + the suffix '-y' meaning 'full of' or 'characterized by'. In the 1600s, 'nosy' simply meant 'having a large nose'. By the late 1800s, it had shifted to mean 'meddlesome', based on the image of someone sticking their nose into other people's affairs. 'Nosiness' was formed by adding the noun suffix '-ness' to 'nosy'.