Curious vs. Nosy

Curious vs. Nosy — Is There a Difference?
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Difference Between Curious and Nosy

Curiousadjective

Tending to ask questions, or to want to explore or investigate; inquisitive; (with a negative connotation) nosy, prying.

Young children are naturally curious about the world and everything in it.

Nosyadjective

prying, inquisitive or curious in other’s affairs; tending to snoop or meddle

They built tall fences, yet the nosy neighbors always seemed to know everything about them.

Curiousadjective

Caused by curiosity.

Nosynoun

A look at something to satisfy one's curiosity.

I might wander down to the construction site for a nosy at what they're building.

Curiousadjective

Leading one to ask questions about; somewhat odd, out of the ordinary, or unusual.

The platypus is a curious creature, with fur like a mammal and a beak like a bird.

Nosyadjective

offensively curious or inquisitive;

curious about the neighbor's doingshe flipped through my letters in his nosy wayprying eyesthe snoopy neighbor watched us all day
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Curiousadjective

(obsolete) Careful, fastidious, particular; (specifically) demanding a high standard of excellence, difficult to satisfy.

Curiousadjective

(obsolete) Carefully or artfully constructed; made with great elegance or skill.

Curiousadjective

beyond or deviating from the usual or expected;

a curious hybrid accenther speech has a funny twangthey have some funny ideas about warhad an odd namethe peculiar aromatic odor of clovessomething definitely queer about this townwhat a rum fellowsingular behavior

Curiousadjective

eager to investigate and learn or learn more (sometimes about others' concerns);

a curious child is a teacher's delighta trap door that made me curiouscurious investigatorstraffic was slowed by curious rubberneckerscurious about the neighbor's doings

Curiousadjective

having curiosity aroused; eagerly interested in learning more;

a trap door that made me curious