officious

Valid in Scrabble

Scrabble points
17
Words With Friends
19
Letters
9
Pronunciation
/əˈfɪʃəs/

Definition of officious

2 senses · 1 part of speech · etymology included

adj

  1. (obsolete)Obliging, attentive, eager to please.
    “Elizabeth's misery increased, at such unnecessary, such officious attention!”
    “‘It is essential that the nation become accustomed to managing its own affairs, so that it will emerge from this state of infancy in which an anxious and officious government attempts to keep the people’.”
See all 2 definitions

adj

  1. (obsolete)Obliging, attentive, eager to please.
    “Elizabeth's misery increased, at such unnecessary, such officious attention!”
    “‘It is essential that the nation become accustomed to managing its own affairs, so that it will emerge from this state of infancy in which an anxious and officious government attempts to keep the people’.”
  2. Offensively intrusive or interfering in offering advice and services.
    “The help tended to be officious, the rules, if heeded, restrictive, and the management meddlesome.”

Definitions from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA.

Etymology

15th century, from Middle English offycyous, from Latin officiōsus (“kindly”), from officium (“service”).

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