How To Use Officious In A Sentence

Though stiff-necked and officious, the commanders aren't demonized nor singled out for blame.
He had a reputation for being politically officious and self - serving.
Cadfael found something so significant in that arrow-straight progress towards the church that he followed, candidly curious and officiously helpful, and finding Rafe of Coventry standing hesitant by the parish altar, looking round him at the multiplicity of chapels contained in transepts and chevet, directed him with blunt simplicity to the one he was looking for. The Hermit of Eyton Forest
The complainant was an officious intermeddler, a busybody, the town scold, an anti-Christian activist named Darren Lund who had an axe to grind, and Andreachuk gave it to him. Ezra Levant: June 2008 Archives
I was stopped at the University gates by an officious guard who asked me for my faculty card.

While I'd been by myself, as I say, I'd even been thinking in Pushtu, but here I had to hold on tight and remember what I was meant to be - for one thing, I wasn't used to being addressed in familiar terms by native soldiers, much less ordered about by an officious naik* (* Corporal.) who'd normally have leaped to attention if I'd so much as looked in his direction. Fiancée
She walked toward us with an officious stride that dissolved about halfway across the room when she broke into a run. SUMMER OF FEAR
An officious man forced me to wait by the door as another patron was seated.
He mistakes Vernon for an officious bartender, Irving for an interfering fellow john; meanwhile, he gets more soused and the situation more fraught.
I believe that if an officious bystander in 1984 had suggested that, all parties would have denied that that was the case.
Political leaders attempt to hang out our best military leaders with all the self depreciating officious interference of a marplot. Watching the Iraq Hearings With Petraeus and Crocker - The Lede Blog - NYTimes.com
When people put on uniforms, their attitude becomes more confident and their manner more officious.
If the officious bystander had asked them whether they had intended to leave out the conditions this time, both must, as honest men, have said, ‘of course not’.
Though stiff-necked and officious, the commanders aren't demonized nor singled out for blame.
They were very officious to scrape ac — quaintance with them. Sir Charles Grandison
Ri smiled and decided to drop her officious speech affectation.
Just another example of pettish bureaucracy, the officiousness of the jack-in-office. Greener Than You Think
There is a kind of officious attentiveness which is really the expression of a species of vanity. Letters to a Daughter and A Little Sermon to School Girls
Should you find yourself getting a wee bit officious in your personal communications, remember the wise advice of Confucious: Be nice, go far.
officious" action, and how subtle are the changes which can be rung upon the two, but there was nothing of that description here. Life in Morocco and Glimpses Beyond
Ralph was eager to talk to Alex about something important, but he was interrupted by Edward who was busy being officious.
They call this keeper 'The Crazy One'The tradition of the madcap Latin American goalkeeper began with Peru's "El Loco", Ramón Quiroga, memorably booked in the opposition half by officious English referee Pat Partridge during the 1978 finals. Truth takes a battering in the great World Cup cliche game
You're strolling absent-mindedly down Coney Street, minding your own business and glancing idly at the displays in shop windows, when an officious little man in a yellow reflective jacket pops out of nowhere and accosts you.
The Bavarian was overofficious when he insisted Nuri Sahin retake his penalty – the Turkish midfielder missed, didn't see another blatant penalty for the home side and completely messed up in the last minute of added time when he falsely awarded a Antonio Da Silva free-kick that led to the equaliser. Köln in meltdown as Zvonimir Soldo is shown the door
At one time, however, "officious" negotiations were kept up between the Holy See and the Italian Government through the agency of Monsignor Carini, Prefect of the Vatican Library and a great friend of Crispi. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume 9: Laprade-Mass Liturgy
'I'll see,' the nurse said, with an officious toss of her head .
Almost all desirable buildings in New York are co-ops, run by officious, and sometimes vicious, board members who place stringent criteria on new members.
A hard worker but congenitally accident-prone, he galumphs through life trying his best but always falling foul of officious middle managers.
Our underlying concern is that we could get one or two officious people policing it.
But "request," he decides, is a word "too mincy & polite, I think, too officious & Britishy. A View of Life in Airport Hell
Behind Nails, as behind navis or naca, we want to have a picture of a dark, slender mass with sail or oars, climbing the ridges, with no officious English word intruding: ' Surprised by Joy
You're strolling absent-mindedly down Coney Street, glancing idly at the displays in shop windows, when an officious little man in a yellow reflective jacket pops out of nowhere and accosts you.
Fabio raised it, ironically, but Sergio was already back in the kitchen, doing something officious with the salad dressing.
When people put on uniforms, their attitude becomes more confident and their manner more officious.
My Adversary himself, now drawing to a conclusion, seems to be inclining to good opinions: and as dying men, are much given to repentance, so finding his cause at the last gasp, he unburthens his Conscience and disclaims the principles of a Common-wealth, both for himself, and for both Houses of Parliament, which is indeed to be over-officious: for one of the Houses will not think they have need of such a Compurgator. His Majesties Declaration Defended
Ilicak was recently convicted in both a compensation case and a criminal trial for her article titled, "The immunity of the president", in which she described Osman Kacmaz, the presiding judge of the 1st High Criminal Court of Sincan (Ankara), as "officious". IFEX -
And this was the rare morsel so officiously snatched up, and so ill-favouredly imitated by our inquisiturient bishops, and the attendant minorites their chaplains. Areopagitica
bustling about self-importantly making an officious nuisance of himself
If he hadn't been an incredibly brainy person he would have been an officious one-eyed council clerk or something.
[153] Unless a legitimate portion, a fourth part, had been reserved for the children, they were entitled to institute an action or complaint of inofficious testament; to suppose that their father's understanding was impaired by sickness or age; and respectfully to appeal from his rigorous sentence to the deliberate wisdom of the magistrate. History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire — Volume 4
A simplistic way of looking at this would be to adopt a kind of officious bystander test who is stood alongside the states making the treaties. German Constitutional Court approves Lisbon - with provisos
jocose" lie, or of usefulness, and then we have the "officious" lie, whereby it is intended to help another person, or to save him from being injured. Summa Theologica, Part II-II (Secunda Secundae) Translated by Fathers of the English Dominican Province
Control was through a rigid hierarchy with the police commissioner at its apex; officious and often severe discipline was exercised by inspectors and sergeants.
He will be living on a great flat earth — unless some officious person has tried to muddle his wits by telling him the earth is round; amidst trees, animals, men, houses, engines, utensils, that are all capable of being good or naughty, all fond of nice things and hostile to nasty ones, all thumpable and perishable, and all conceivably esurient. Mankind in the Making
Julian Avenel had intrigued without scruple with both parties -- yet bad as he was, he certainly would not have practised aught against the guest whom Lord James had recommended to his hospitality, had it not been for what he termed the preacher's officious inter-meddling in his family affairs. The Monastery
Handing me things and giving me advice left and right, the backstage women were quickly turning from munificent to officious.
Shuffling past security in our scuzzy T-shirts and jeans, the officious receptionist tuts at us.
Hospitals could be pointlessly officious on such matters as visiting rights for parents.
Some officious little bean counter marooned behind a desk, talking down his nose at me. CHAMELEON
And it would be essential if, but only if, the material that was being filmed was material of a kind that the inevitable officious bystander would say should not be filmed without consent.
officious" by the French journals, and it remains to be seen in which of the two senses attaching to the word the Americans will interpret the interference -- "officious" implying, according to their own Noah London; Saturday, January 31, 1863
Medieval French was much less concerned with the problems of homonymic clash than subsequent stages of the language, and readily tolerated a plethora of homonyms which modern French has often officiously tidied up.
Had an officious bystander raised the possibility, can one doubt that George would have ridiculed it?
It is, however, often imprudent and officious to try and fix the problems and arbitrate the quarrels of strangers.
Some officious little bean-counter marooned behind a desk, talking down his nose at me. CHAMELEON
He's an officious little man and widely disliked in the company.
And if you throw into the mix Southport's officious stewards then the ugly was very much on display as an end of season clash became spicier than anyone could have thought.
With quietness they work - Μετα ἡσυχιας· With silence; leaving their tale-bearing and officious intermeddling. Archive 2008-04-01
Incomparably clever is the satire on the benevolent societies which exist to furnish a kind of officious sense of virtue to their aristocratic members. Essays on Scandinavian Literature
If he hadn't been an incredibly brainy person he would have been an officious one-eyed council clerk or something.
Rangers were right to be upset by how the officious referee handled the match.
He will be living on a great flat earth -- unless some officious person has tried to muddle his wits by telling him the earth is round; amidst trees, animals, men, houses, engines, utensils, that are all capable of being good or naughty, all fond of nice things and hostile to nasty ones, all thumpable and perishable, and all conceivably esurient. Mankind in the Making
When people put on uniforms, their attitude becomes more confident and their manner more officious.
'I'll see,' the nurse said, with an officious toss of her head .
The men and women are inofficious and are not passionate either. Foreign Policy In Focus
“Excuse me,” said one, in a damnatory officious voice. Kangaroo
The envelope felt heavy, the paper coarse and thick; the address written in blue ink, flowing and elegant calligraphy; Elaina’s name scribed with a flourish; the sharp, officious, black ink stamp of the censors in the top right. Together « A Fly in Amber
nothing so fatal as to strive too officiously for an abstract quality like beauty
AUDI Officious "green police" punish citizens who are not sufficiently eco-conscious, but an owner of an Audi A3 TDI with clean-diesel technology drives away scot-free. NYT > Home Page
Back in the car park, I found that an officious traffic warden had decided to make my day. DEAD BEAT
Prospect of bringing the bath into the house has made Albert all officious & he has gone into an organisational frenzy. AND GOD CREATED THE AU PAIR
He has not yet got my letter: and while I was contriving here how to send my officious gaoleress from me, that I might have time for the intended interview, and had hit upon an expedient, which I believe would have done, came my aunt, and furnished me with a much better. Clarissa Harlowe
And this was the rare morsel so officiously snatched up, and so ill-favoredly imitated by our inquisiturient bishops, and the attendant minorities, their chaplains. Plea for the Liberty of Unlicensed Printing
A polite but officious clerk explained he could not board the aircraft as he was a ‘high-level security risk’.
The officious shopmen began explaining with oily politeness that the first box contained only half a dozen bottles of champagne, and only “the most indispensable articles,” such as savouries, sweets, toffee, etc. The Brothers Karamazov
It has as its virtue the quality of being opposed to red tape, professionalism, departmentalism pedantry, officiousness, intolerance, lethargy, and the tyranny of custom; it has its dangers in that, resting as it does in the last resort on the personal and the concrete, it tends in ill-balanced minds to neglect the value of ancient and dear illusions, and to degenerate into chaos and caprice. Personality in Literature
'But, I believe,' he said, 'some genius of officiousness has today taken possession of me, for I began it upon a Quixote sort of enterprise, and a spirit of knight-errantry seems willing to accompany me through it to the end.' Camilla
Officious Intermeddler, You are officially permitted to intermeddle in support of my points any time, please feel free...you seem to have done all the heavy lifting here...adieu The Volokh Conspiracy » Second Circuit rules in favor of firearms dealers on procedural due process:
Unless a legitimate portion, a fourth part, had been reserved for the children, they were entitled to institute an action or complaint of _inofficious_ testament; to suppose that their father's understanding was impaired by sickness or age, and respectfully to appeal from his rigorous sentence to the deliberate wisdom of the magistrate. The Great Events by Famous Historians, Volume 04
All, therefore, that happened amiss, in the course even of domestic affairs, was attributed to the government; and as it always happens in this kind of officious universal interference, what began in odious power ended always, I may say without an exception, in contemptible imbecility. The Works of the Right Honourable Edmund Burke, Vol. 05 (of 12)
These officious intermeddlers from Hollywood have no regard for baseball or its rich history of patriotism, and they have no business being at the Hall of Fame.
She was trying to sound either officious or impersonal for the casual listener, a very smart move considering the circumstances. CORMORANT
His officious and arrogant attitude towards players has also, remarkably, gone unpunished.
I have little doubt that they would have said so to an officious bystander.
The Sheriff made a joke over the similarity of the words 'officious' and 'official' to which there was some laughter, at which point one of the court officials sternly rebuked those present with a shout of "Silence in court! Signs of the Times
They all seemed impatient and officious and preoccupied.
Under our world exists a chaotic, quarrelsome and crowded underground society of fearsome but stupid goblins, officious gnomes, sprites, technically adept centaurs and other creatures.
'I'm sorry, Young Novice," Lord Vasquez said in her kindly, if officious , THE BROKEN GOD
All those dreary councillors and their officious bureaucrats deserve to be humbled.
He had officiously detained the whole unhappy party, on the grounds that he wanted to re-examine everybody, and was thus keeping them miserably cooped up together over a horrible Sunday; and he had put the copingstone on his offences by turning out to be an intimate friend of Lord Peter Wimsey's, and having, in consequence, to be accommodated with a bed in the gamekeeper's cottage and breakfast at the Lodge. Clouds of Witness
Many of the men sprang forward, officiously, to offer their services, either from the hope of the reward, or from that cringing subserviency which is one of the most baleful effects of slavery. Uncle Tom's Cabin
Maintenance “is officious intermeddling in a suit which in no way belongs to the intermeddler, by maintaining or assisting either party to the action, with money or otherwise, to prosecute or defend it,” in other words, helping another prosecute a suit, while champerty is a species of maintenance “in which the intermeddler makes a bargain with one of the parties to the action to be compensated out of the proceeds of the action,” in other words maintaining a suit in return for a financial interest in the outcome. Rare champerty ruling in false advertising case
The problems are that it easily becomes a weapon in the hands of the officious, ignorant and punitive supervisor.
Two social workers arrived at my place of work two weeks later and in a very high handed and officious manner insisted on ‘interviewing’ me in front of my staff.
This bore was regaling anyone who cared to listen with the story of how an officious jobsworth had refused him admission to some function or other.
Officious, adj: intrusive in a meddling or offensive manner; "an interfering old woman"; "bustling about self-importantly making an officious nuisance of himself"; "busy about other people's business" [syn: interfering, meddlesome, meddling, busy, busybodied] posted by redbarren at 4: 40 PM Archive 2005-12-01
Otherwise, all you have to represent the church are the officious suits in the conference room overly concerned with recording devices and coldly "unsealing" her from her family and church for all eternity. Undefined
For instance, Mrs. Pertonwaithe and Mrs. Wickson exercised tremendous social power in the university town, and from them emanated the sentiment that I was a too-forward and self-assertive young woman with a mischievous penchant for officiousness and interference in other persons 'affairs. Chapter 6: Adumbrations
At Taunton, the rebels killed, in their fury, an officious and eager commissioner of the subsidy, whom they called the provost of Perin. The History of England in Three Volumes, Vol.I., Part C. From Henry VII. to Mary
a legitimate portion, a fourth part, had been reserved for the children, they were entitled to institute an action or complaint of _inofficious_ testament; to suppose that their father's understanding was impaired by sickness or age; and respectfully to appeal from his rigorous sentence to the deliberate wisdom of the magistrate. History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire — Volume 4
Because he had no real authority, the clerk acted in officious way.
An officious camp guard, armed with a stout pole for the purposes of crowd control, herds them roughly away.
Later, impersonating the family's trusted factotum, Oreo confronts an officious medical professional.
officious" lie for some useful purpose, and a "mischievous" lie in order to injure someone. Summa Theologica, Part II-II (Secunda Secundae) Translated by Fathers of the English Dominican Province
The bizarre navy-blue apron and officious change from high heels to dominatrix flats is the only forlorn remnant of any concept of service, feebly shored up by the unctuousness of the scripted public address announcements. Archive 2009-02-01
Overly officious, he issued an amazing 10 yellow cards and one red, in what wasn't a dirty game.
They decreed in tumultuous votes, * that his honors should be reversed, his titles erased from the public monuments, his statues thrown down, his body dragged with a hook into the stripping room of the gladiators, to satiate the public fury; and they expressed some indignation against those officious servants who had already presumed to screen his remains from the justice of the senate. The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
The worst were the overly officious customs officials who are no advert for American hospitality.
Harriet — Augustus — let me intreat, let me insist upon it, that my father be immediately assured my ready — my officious consent waits to sign any deed, however binding, which shall give liberty to the whole of the jointured estate. Vicissitudes in Genteel Life
The hotel manager in Gansu is officious, just like the clean, well-appointed government facility she oversees.

How To Use Officious In A Sentence

Report a problem

Please indicate a type of error

Additional information (optional):