nosy (also written as nosey)
adjective

- too interested in what other people are doing and wanting to discover too much about them

(Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary)

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To be curious is to be human, but to be too curious about other people's business is to be nosy. As the Chinese proverb says, "There are always ears on the other side of the wall."

The nose has long been associated with being curious or inquisitive. This stems from our sense of smell which humans, and particularly animals, use to detect objects and determine if they are dangerous, pleasant or even edible. In addition to the adjective nosy, the root word nose is used in other similar expressions:

- nose about = to search here and there to find someone or something (We nosed about for an hour but never found him.)

- nose around = to pry into something; to snoop around something (Can you believe she was nosing around in my office?)

- keep nose out of = to stay out of something, usually someone's business (I told him to keep his nose out of my affairs.)

poke nose in/into = to interfere with something (I wish he would stop poking his nose in my business.)

Note: Nosy Parker is colloquial for a nosy person. See the OWAD archive for the origin of this expression.

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SYNONYMS

curious, inquisitive, meddlesome, prying, snoopy

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"He's not nosy, he's just trying to show an interest."