Synonyms of inquisitive

inquisitive

adjective

in-ˈkwi-zə-tiv 

as in curious

interested in what is not one's own business

an inquisitive woman who tends to everybody's business but her own

Synonyms & Similar Words

• curious
• nosey
• interested
• nosy
• prying
• officious
• intrusive
• concerned
• questioning
• quizzical
• meddlesome
• obtrusive
• snoopy
• meddling
• interrogative
• inquisitorial
• interfering
• inquisitional

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• disinterested
• incurious
• indifferent
• uninterested
• uncurious
• unconcerned
• apathetic

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective inquisitive contrast with its synonyms?

The words curious and prying are common synonyms of inquisitive. While all three words mean "interested in what is not one's personal or proper concern," inquisitive suggests impertinent and habitual curiosity and persistent quizzing.

dreaded the visits of their inquisitive relatives

When can curious be used instead of inquisitive?

The meanings of curious and inquisitive largely overlap; however, curious, a neutral term, basically connotes an active desire to learn or to know.

children are curious about everything

When would prying be a good substitute for inquisitive?

The words prying and inquisitive are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, prying implies busy meddling and officiousness.

prying neighbors who refuse to mind their own business

Examples of inquisitive in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The moment between Hart and the inquisitive paparazzi was shared by Entertainment Tonight. —Demicia Inman, VIBE.com, 3 Oct. 2024

Being inquisitive, caring about others and wanting to minimize the disruption to overall humanity helps offer sustainable solutions. —Kinga Vajda, Forbes, 1 Oct. 2024

For all of its midsized gaps and failures of interrogation, though, Wise Guy represents Gibney at his most playfully engaged, with his fan’s enthusiasm yielding a doc that’s inquisitive and formally light on its feet throughout. —Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Sep. 2024

The revealing reply came after an inquisitive fan asked about a potential Cole and Cudi collab on Wednesday (Sept. 18). —Michael Saponara, Billboard, 18 Sep. 2024