What does intermeddler mean?
An intermeddler is a person who interferes in matters that do not properly concern them. The word is chiefly negative: it suggests someone who intrudes on other people's privacy, disputes, or responsibilities, usually in order to offer unwanted advice, express an opinion, or take control. In ordinary conversation, "busybody" and "meddler" are more frequent choices, while "intermediary" can be misleading because it usually means a neutral person who helps communication or negotiation between others. An intermeddler is not necessarily a mediator; the distinguishing feature is intrusive involvement rather than constructive brokerage. The term is therefore most useful in formal, literary, or deliberately formal contexts where the speaker wants to characterize unnecessary interference with precision.
nounA person who interferes in affairs that are not their own concern.
- A person who unnecessarily interferes in other people's affairs or concerns.
"She dismissed their comments as the meddling of an intermeddler."
"The group asked the intermeddler to leave their private discussion alone."
"He was accused of being an intermeddler because he kept inserting himself into disputes between colleagues."
The standard plural is formed by adding "-s."
"Several intermeddlers repeatedly interrupted the meeting."
An intermeddler does not merely have an opinion; they make that opinion somebody else's problem.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of intermeddler
The word is formed from "intermeddle" plus the agent suffix "-er." In turn, "intermeddle" combines the prefix "inter-" with "meddle," which refers to interfering in other people's affairs. The related forms "meddler" and "meddling" share this root and reflect the same idea of intrusive involvement.
Related word forms
How intermeddler is actually used
The term is formal to literary in tone and carries a disapproving connotation. It is less common than the plainer word "busybody" and may sound deliberately formal or old-fashioned.
Easily confused with intermeddler
A meddler interferes directly in other people's affairs, whereas an intermeddler is more explicitly characterized as someone who inserts themselves into a situation or dispute.
An intermediary mediates or connects between parties, while an intermeddler interferes without necessarily serving as a neutral connector.