1
as in curious
interested in what is not one's own business
as we moved into our new home, we could sense that there were prying eyes watching us
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in busy
thrusting oneself where one is not welcome or invited
prying neighbors who refuse to mind their own business
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in questioning
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in pulling
to raise, move, or pull apart with or as if with a lever
it took some effort to pry up the trap door
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in yanking
to draw out by force or with effort
a vain attempt to pry the cork out of a wine bottle
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in interfering
to interest oneself in what is not one's concern
don't go prying into other people's business
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of prying
Nicholas Ivor Martin and Jacobina Martin, oregonlive, 4 Feb. 2023
But inquiring into the specifics of familial dynamics is impudent and prying — and a line of questioning that most people would be happy to avoid answering themselves.
—Jacobina Martin, Washington Post, 4 Feb. 2023
The Google Nest Hub (7/10, WIRED Recommends) is a great smart display with no camera (and therefore no risk of unwanted prying eyes).
—Brenda Stolyar and Medea Giordano, WIRED, 28 Nov. 2022
To my mind, however, there’s a difference between a Google or a Facebook, which provide valuable services in return for their prying eyes, and an app that serves a single, ostensibly benign purpose — parking validation.
—Los Angeles Times, 12 Nov. 2021
Carry two phones While anti-spy software may be effective in staving off the prying eyes of the Chinese government, not everyone knows how to install it.
—Jane Li, Quartz, 6 Aug. 2019
Its purpose: to train librarians to implement secure protocols on their own web services, and to teach members of the community to evade the prying eyes of governments, corporations, and criminal hackers.
—Eoin O'Carroll, The Christian Science Monitor, 18 Oct. 2017
One reason Russians have loaded up on passports is that Cypriot citizenship helps them avoid the prying eyes of their government and pay lower taxes.
—Yalman Onaran, Bloomberg.com, 11 May 2017
Adjective
But inquiring into the specifics of familial dynamics is impudent and prying -- and a line of questioning that most people would be happy to avoid answering themselves.
—Nicholas Ivor Martin and Jacobina Martin, oregonlive, 4 Feb. 2023
But inquiring into the specifics of familial dynamics is impudent and prying — and a line of questioning that most people would be happy to avoid answering themselves.
—Jacobina Martin, Washington Post, 4 Feb. 2023
The Google Nest Hub (7/10, WIRED Recommends) is a great smart display with no camera (and therefore no risk of unwanted prying eyes).
—Brenda Stolyar and Medea Giordano, WIRED, 28 Nov. 2022
To my mind, however, there’s a difference between a Google or a Facebook, which provide valuable services in return for their prying eyes, and an app that serves a single, ostensibly benign purpose — parking validation.
—Los Angeles Times, 12 Nov. 2021
Carry two phones While anti-spy software may be effective in staving off the prying eyes of the Chinese government, not everyone knows how to install it.
—Jane Li, Quartz, 6 Aug. 2019
Its purpose: to train librarians to implement secure protocols on their own web services, and to teach members of the community to evade the prying eyes of governments, corporations, and criminal hackers.
—Eoin O'Carroll, The Christian Science Monitor, 18 Oct. 2017
One reason Russians have loaded up on passports is that Cypriot citizenship helps them avoid the prying eyes of their government and pay lower taxes.
—Yalman Onaran, Bloomberg.com, 11 May 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prying
Adjective
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Inside the big canvas structure, visitors find giant hares — that’s a rabbit — lizards, bantam chickens, chinchillas and hedgehogs, many of which are being seen for the first time by curious children.—
J.M. Banks,
Kansas City Star,
30 May 2025
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Here are the key characters your family will get to know in the first season: Lily Pak High-energy, curious and eager, Lily is an independent 11-year-old who longs to carve out her place in the world.—
Miranda Rake,
Parents,
30 May 2025
Adjective
-
April Kiser, a spokesperson for Arkansas State Parks, said Memorial Day weekend is a particularly busy time for state parks.—
Amir Mahmoud,
Arkansas Online,
23 May 2025
-
In the corner of a busy room someone is looking someone else in the eye and now nothing will be the same again.—
Sophie Monks Kaufman,
IndieWire,
22 May 2025
Noun
-
Drivers mostly agreed about this line of questioning, too.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
19 May 2025
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Toward the end of Thursday’s questioning, the defense asked Ventura about the 2016 InterContinental hotel freak-off, where the video of Combs beating Ventura in a hallway came from, and tried to indicate Combs was going through opiate withdrawal at the time, The New York Times reported.—
Conor Murray,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2025
Adjective
-
Through the inquisitive narration provided by Tom Hanks.—
Christian Blauvelt,
IndieWire,
22 May 2025
-
Space exploration, time travel, talking cats and inquisitive robots all make up the various stories of the first three season.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2025
Noun
-
Last year, the department paid out nearly $1 million to settle with a man who said that, over the course of a 17-hour interrogation, officers coerced him into confessing to a murder that never took place.—
Sonja Sharp,
Los Angeles Times,
26 May 2025
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The comments on Kobayashi’s posts are still publicly accessible, though some social media users have turned them into something more closely resembling an interrogation room.—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
20 May 2025
Adjective
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The couple cited the intrusive U.K. press and a lack of support from the palace as their reasons for the move.—
Stephanie Giang-Paunon,
FOXNews.com,
20 May 2025
-
For some, that same gesture can feel intrusive – even jarring.—
Brian N. Chin,
The Conversation,
16 May 2025
Noun
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The Oklahoma Department of Education and Walters' office did not respond to an inquiry from USA TODAY.—
Kayla Jimenez,
USA Today,
23 May 2025
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But the teacher who wrote the Sept. 27, 2023, email included student names, and the teacher who wrote the Nov. 1, 2023 email provided student names in response to an inquiry by Williams-James, the two teachers told The Bee.—
Jennah Pendleton,
Sacbee.com,
23 May 2025
Adjective
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Their friendship adds to the frustration and intrigue of his nosy neighbours (Sophie Willan, Jon Pointing) who are obsessed with trying to find out what the hell is going on in the garden shed.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
21 May 2025
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Spring is in full gear with warmer temperatures, rainy weather and of course, the arrival of one of the nosiest insects.—
Anthony Robledo,
USA Today,
11 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Prying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prying. Accessed 2 Jun. 2025.
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