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Impertinent vs Officious vs Meddlesome vs Intrusive vs Obtrusive

Impertinent, officiousmeddlesomeintrusiveobtrusive are applied to persons and their acts and utterances and mean exceeding or tending to exceed the bounds of propriety regarding the interposition of oneself in another person’s affairs.

Impertinent (see also RELEVANT ) implies a concerning oneself more or less offensively with things which are another’s business or, at least, not in any sense one’s own business.

Officious implies the offering, often well-meant, of services, attentions, or assistance that are not needed or that are unwelcome or offensive.

Meddlesome carries a stronger implication of annoying interference in other people’s affairs than the preceding terms; it may imply the qualities of character suggested by any of the other words, but it usually also connotes a prying or inquisitive nature.

Intrusive applies largely to persons, actions, or words that reveal a disposition to thrust oneself into other people’s affairs or society or to be unduly curious about what is not one’s concern.

Obtrusive is applicable like intrusive and often carries very similar implications. Distinctively, however, it connotes objectionable actions more than an objectionable disposition and so stresses a thrusting forward of oneself, as into a position where one can harm more often than help or where one is unduly or improperly conspicuous.