gadfly

noun

gad·​fly ˈgad-ˌflī 

1

: any of various flies (such as a horsefly, botfly, or warble fly) that bite or annoy livestock

2

: a person who stimulates or annoys other people especially by persistent criticism

a political gadfly

Did you know?

The Gadfly of Athens

It's easy to guess what puts the fly in gadfly: in its oldest meaning, fly refers to a winged insect. But (gadzooks!) what about the gad? As a standalone English word, gad means "chisel," but it once could be used for a spike, spear, or rod for goading cattle. It was in the 16th century that gad was joined with fly to refer to any of several insects that bother livestock. Before too long, English speakers began applying gadfly to people who annoy or provoke others. One of history's most famous gadflies was the philosopher Socrates, who was known for his constant questioning of his fellow Athenians' ethics, misconceptions, and assumptions. In his Apology, Plato describes Socrates' characterization of Athens as a large and sluggish horse and of Socrates himself as the fly that bites and rouses it. Many translations use gadfly in this portion of the Apology, and Socrates is sometimes referred to as the "gadfly of Athens."

Synonyms

• annoyance
• annoyer
• bother
• gnawer
• nudnik
• nudnick
• nuisance
• pain
• persecutor
• pest
• tease
• teaser

Examples of gadfly in a Sentence

the journalist was known as a gadfly for exposing hypocrisy in politics

Recent Examples on the Web

Trantalis owes much to the three gadflies who challenged him, even though none had a chance of defeating him. —Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 7 Nov. 2024

Listening to activist investors can be a chore for many management teams and boards, who tend to think of activists as massive distractions taking them away from the business of actually running their enterprises or attention-hungry gadflies who merely take credit for changes already underway. —Owen Tripp, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2024

Beforehand, we’re treated to comic gadfly Robert Benchley traversing the studio lot. —Josh Spiegel, Vulture, 24 July 2024

Meenakshi Ahamed, the author of a forthcoming book on Indian Americans, notes that many prominent figures—Indra Nooyi, the former C.E.O. of PepsiCo; Vivek Ramaswamy, the conservative gadfly—have Brahman heritage. —Evan Osnos, The New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

gad entry 1 + fly entry 4

First Known Use

1569, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

gadfly

noun

gad·​fly ˈgad-ˌflī 

1

: any of various flies (as a horsefly or botfly) that are pests especially of livestock

2

: a person who annoys others especially by persistent criticism

Medical Definition

gadfly

noun

gad·​fly ˈgad-ˌflī 

plural gadflies

: any of various flies (as a horsefly, botfly, or warble fly) that bite or annoy livestock