as in nuisance
one who is obnoxiously annoying
the journalist was known as a gadfly for exposing hypocrisy in politics
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of gadfly
When Zeus took a liking to princess Io, Hera turned her into a heifer, then sent a gadfly – like a horse fly – to sting her constantly.
—
Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 20 Jan. 2025
One reason the collection merits revisiting is Macdonald’s voice, which is both witty and pugnacious, the voice of a gadfly who delighted in mocking conventional pieties and in challenging the status quo.
—The New Yorker, 24 Dec. 2024
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
See all Example Sentences for gadfly 
Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 20 Jan. 2025
One reason the collection merits revisiting is Macdonald’s voice, which is both witty and pugnacious, the voice of a gadfly who delighted in mocking conventional pieties and in challenging the status quo.
—The New Yorker, 24 Dec. 2024
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
See all Example Sentences for gadfly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gadfly
Noun
-
The site’s structure is a nuisance for anyone invested in controlling how information is disseminated.—
Lila Shroff,
The Atlantic,
5 Feb. 2025
-
Kurt's key takeaways Robocalls can be a real nuisance, especially for flip phone users.—
Kurt Knutsson, CyberGuy Report,
Fox News,
19 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
This is less a chant and more a fireworks show celebrating the permanent expungement of all turncoats and pests.—
Stephen Kearse,
Vulture,
4 Feb. 2025
-
The most effective way to stop rodents (as well as snakes and other pests) from doing this damage is to prevent them from getting into your vehicles in the first place, but this is hard to do.—
Jan Wagner,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Little annoyances and setbacks are practically an everyday fact of life.—
Erica Sloan,
SELF,
31 Jan. 2025
-
Camille, Lisa and Irene all fawn over the chair while the saleswoman Sarah (Madison McKinley) looks on with annoyance.—
Jourdain Searles,
The Hollywood Reporter,
31 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near gadfly
Cite this Entry
“Gadfly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gadfly. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
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