Officious

Pronunciation: /əˈfɪʃəs/

Definitions of officious

adjective excessively eager in offering unwanted help or advice; meddlesome

Example Sentences

A1 The officious waiter kept refilling my water glass without me asking.

A2 She can be a bit officious at times, always telling others what to do.

B1 The officious security guard wouldn't let me enter the building without showing my ID.

B2 The officious manager micromanaged every aspect of the project, causing frustration among the team.

C1 Her officious behavior in trying to control every detail of the event led to conflicts with other organizers.

C2 The officious professor insisted on strict adherence to his guidelines, making it difficult for students to express their own ideas.

Examples of officious in a Sentence

formal The officious clerk insisted on following every rule to the letter.

informal The officious neighbor always tries to tell everyone what to do.

slang That officious teacher is always up in everyone's business.

figurative Her officious attitude was like a dark cloud hanging over the group project.

Grammatical Forms of officious

• past tense: officioused
• plural: officiouses
• comparative: more officious
• superlative: most officious
• present tense: officiouses
• future tense: will officious
• perfect tense: have officioused
• continuous tense: is officiousing
• singular: officious
• positive degree: officious
• infinitive: to officious
• gerund: officiousing
• participle: officioused

Origin and Evolution of officious

First Known Use: 0015 year

Language of Origin: Latin

Story behind the word: The word 'officious' originated from the Latin word 'officiosus', which means eager to serve or obliging.

Evolution of the word: Originally, 'officious' had a positive connotation of being eager to help or serve. Over time, the word evolved to also carry a negative connotation of being overly assertive or intrusive in offering help or advice.