curious

curious 1 Curious, inquisitive, prying, snoopy, nosy are comparable when meaning interested in finding out or in a search for facts that are not one's personal concern.

Curious need not imply objectionable qualities such as intrusiveness or impertinence, but it suggests an eager desire to learn, especially to learn how or why things have happened or are happening

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children are naturally curious about almost everything

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curious onlookers were held back by the police

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she did not wish to seem curious about her neighbor's affairs

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a Latin poet whose reputation would deter any reader but the most curious— T. S. Eliot

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Edgar was a rationalist, who was curious, and had a sort of scientific interest in life— D. H. Lawrence

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Inquisitive implies habitual and impertinent curiosity and usually suggests the asking of many questions regarding something secret or unrevealed

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they grew inquisitive after my name and character— Spectator

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we had no lack of visitors among such an idle, inquisitive set as the Tahitians— Melville

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Prying adds to curious and inquisitive the implications of busy meddling and of officiousness

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the world might guess it; and I will not bare my soul to their shallow prying eyes— Wilde

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Snoopy and nosy are somewhat informal terms highly expressive of contempt. Snoopy adds to prying suggestions of slyness or sneaking

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a snoopy legal investigator

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everyone felt that she was snoopy and soon refused to welcome her as a visitor

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Nosy suggests the methods of a dog pursuing a scent and implies a desire to discover the ins and outs of every situation that arouses one's curiosity

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a nosy, disagreeable child

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doesn't want nosy state officials or city slickers prying into its manners and morals— Fortnight

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Analogous words: meddling, intermeddling, interfering, tampering (see MEDDLE): scrutinizing, inspecting, examining (see SCRUTINIZE): intrusive, meddlesome, *impertinent

Antonyms: incurious: uninterested

Contrasted words: *indifferent, aloof, detached, unconcerned: apathetic, stolid, *impassive, phlegmatic

2 singular, *strange, peculiar, unique, odd, queer, quaint, outlandish, eccentric, erratic