inquisitive

inquisitive
I
(New American Roget's College Thesaurus)
adj. questioning; curious, prying, meddlesome, busybodyish. See curiosity.
II
(Roget's IV) modif.
Syn. curious, inquiring, prying, speculative, questioning, interested, intrusive, meddling, meddlesome, searching, challenging, analytical, poking, sifting, scrutinizing, investigative, querying, inquisitorial, forward, presumptuous, impertinent, snoopy*, nosy*, long-nosed*, rubbernecking*, big-eyed*, consumed with curiosity*; see also interested 1 , meddlesome .
Ant. indifferent*, unconcerned, aloof.
Syn.- inquisitive implies a habitual tendency to be curious, esp. about matters that do not concern one, and an attempt to gain information by persistent questioning; curious implies eagerness or anxiousness to find out things and may suggest a wholesome deSire to be informed; meddlesome suggests unwelcome intrusion into the affairs of others; prying suggests an officious inquisitiveness and meddlesomeness that persists against resistance
III
(Roget's 3 Superthesaurus) a.
curious, prying, nosy, inquiring, questioning, interested, *dying to know, probing, intrusive, *snooping, *hungry for knowledge.
ANT.: uninterested, indifferent
IV
(Roget's Thesaurus II) adjective 1. Unduly interested in the affairs of others: curious, inquisitorial. Informal: nosy, snoopy. See INVESTIGATE. 2. Eager to acquire knowledge: curious, inquiring, investigative, questioning. See INVESTIGATE.

English dictionary for students. 2013.

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Synonyms:
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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Inquisitive — In*quis i*tive, a. [OE. inquisitif, F. inquisitif.] 1. Disposed to ask questions, especially in matters which do not concern the inquirer. [1913 Webster] A wise man is not inquisitive about things impertinent. Broome. [1913 Webster] 2. Given to… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Inquisitive — In*quis i*tive, n. A person who is inquisitive; one curious in research. Sir W. Temple. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • inquisitive — I adjective audiendi, cupidus, curiosus, curious, eager for knowledge, fond of investigation, given to research, inquiring, interested, interrogative, investigative, questioning, quizzical, scrutinizing, searching, seeking, speculative II index …   Law dictionary

  • inquisitive — late 14c., from O.Fr. inquisitif, from L.L. inquisitivus making inquiry, from L. inquisit , pp. stem of inquirere (see INQUIRE (Cf. inquire)). An housbonde shal nat been Inquisityf of goddes pryuetee nor of his wyf. [Chaucer, Miller s Prologue ]… …   Etymology dictionary

  • inquisitive — *curious, prying, snoopy, nosy Analogous words: impertinent, intrusive, meddlesome: interfering, meddling, intermeddling (see MEDDLE) Antonyms: incurious Contrasted words: indifferent, unconcerned, aloof, detached, uninterested, disinterested …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • inquisitive — [adj] curious big eyed*, analytical, challenging, forward, impertinent, inquiring, inquisitorial, interested, intrusive, investigative, meddlesome, meddling, nosy, peering, personal, poking, presumptuous, probing, prying, questioning,… …   New thesaurus

  • inquisitive — ► ADJECTIVE 1) eagerly seeking knowledge. 2) prying. DERIVATIVES inquisitively adverb inquisitiveness noun …   English terms dictionary

  • inquisitive — [in kwiz′ə tiv] adj. [ME enquesitif < OFr inquisitif < LL inquisitivus < L inquisitus, pp. of inquirere: see INQUIRE] 1. inclined to ask many questions or seek information; eager to learn 2. asking more questions than is necessary or… …   English World dictionary

  • inquisitive — adj. VERBS ▪ appear, be, seem ▪ become ADVERB ▪ highly, very ▪ a highly i …   Collocations dictionary

  • inquisitive — in|quis|i|tive [ınˈkwızıtıv] adj 1.) asking too many questions and trying to find out too many details about something or someone ▪ I d have asked more questions, but I didn t want to seem inquisitive. 2.) interested in a lot of different things… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • inquisitive — [[t]ɪnkwɪ̱zɪtɪv[/t]] ADJ GRADED An inquisitive person likes finding out about things, especially secret things. Barrow had an inquisitive nature... Bears are very inquisitive and must be kept mentally stimulated. Derived words: inquisitively ADV… …   English dictionary

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