as in nuisance
one who is obnoxiously annoying
the journalist was known as a gadfly for exposing hypocrisy in politics
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Recent Examples of gadfly
City Hall is a raw stage for democracy: scholars with binders, neighbors with gripes, gadflies with grievances sharpened to a point.
—
Eric Preven, Oc Register, 19 Sep. 2025
Renewable energy advocates treat activists like Gilbert as relentless gadflies who need to be stopped for the good of the planet.
—Tony Schick, ProPublica, 14 Aug. 2025
Doubling as an account of modern American conservatism (from media gadflies to six Supreme Court justices), the film is punctuated with contemporaneous footage that, viewed through the lens of Olin’s misdeeds, generates the tension and shock of a genre film.
—Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 7 Aug. 2025
Douglas Miller is a long-time attorney and real estate industry gadfly who instigated the first of the commission lawsuits filed starting in 2019 against big brokerages and the National Association of Realtors, one of the largest professional lobby groups in the country.
—Andrea Riquier, USA Today, 3 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gadfly
Eric Preven, Oc Register, 19 Sep. 2025
Renewable energy advocates treat activists like Gilbert as relentless gadflies who need to be stopped for the good of the planet.
—Tony Schick, ProPublica, 14 Aug. 2025
Doubling as an account of modern American conservatism (from media gadflies to six Supreme Court justices), the film is punctuated with contemporaneous footage that, viewed through the lens of Olin’s misdeeds, generates the tension and shock of a genre film.
—Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 7 Aug. 2025
Douglas Miller is a long-time attorney and real estate industry gadfly who instigated the first of the commission lawsuits filed starting in 2019 against big brokerages and the National Association of Realtors, one of the largest professional lobby groups in the country.
—Andrea Riquier, USA Today, 3 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gadfly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gadfly
Noun
-
Intentionally obstructing the roadway, especially while impeding emergency access, is a misdemeanor in Minnesota, as is being a public nuisance by blocking the right-of-way.—
Mia Cathell,
The Washington Examiner,
13 Feb. 2026
-
For rulers abroad, the Puerto Rican people were mostly a nuisance to be managed.—
Andrew R. Chow,
Time,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Whether that’s using it to prepare garden beds, create new garden beds, or even control weeds and pests, upcycling this household staple can help you out in the garden in more ways than one.—
Patricia Shannon,
Southern Living,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Her boyfriend, Blake Murray, a pest-control technician, brought in most of their income.—
Ava Kofman,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Otherwise, the biggest throughline of this episode is Jane’s annoyance at the concept of the challenge.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
7 Feb. 2026
-
That's when a high credit card APR stops being an annoyance and starts becoming a structural problem in your finances.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
6 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gadfly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gadfly. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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