What does gadfly mean?
Definitions for gadfly
ˈgædˌflaɪgad·f·ly
This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word gadfly.
Princeton's WordNet
pest, blighter, cuss, pesterer, gadflynoun
a persistently annoying person
gadflynoun
any of various large flies that annoy livestock
Wiktionary
gadflynoun
Any dipterous insect of the genus Oestrus, and allied group of botflies.
gadflynoun
A horsefly: any of various species of fly, of the family Tabanid[ae], noted for buzzing about animals and sucking their blood.
gadflynoun
One who upsets the status quo by posing upsetting or novel questions, or attempts to stimulate innovation by proving an irritant.
gadflynoun
One who merely irritates without making useful suggestions.
gadflynoun
A bloodsucker
He's a regular gadfly and takes advantage of his friend's generosity.
Etymology: "fly which bites cattle", from gaddr.
Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
Gadflynoun
A fly that when he stings the cattle makes them gad or run madly about; the breese.
Etymology: gad and fly; but by Stephen Skinner, who makes it the original of gad, goadfly. Supposed to be originally from goad, in Saxon gad, and fly.
The fly called the gadfly breedeth of somewhat that swimeth upon the top of the water, and is most about ponds. Francis Bacon.
Light fly his slumbers, if perchance a flight
Of angry gadflies fasten on the herd. James Thomson, Summer.
Webster Dictionary
Gadflynoun
any dipterous insect of the genus Oestrus, and allied genera of botflies
Etymology: [Gad + fly.]
Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
Gadfly
gad′flī, n. a fly which pierces the skin of cattle in order to deposit its eggs: a mischievous gadabout. [From gad, n., fly.]
Numerology
Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of gadfly in Chaldean Numerology is: 2
Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of gadfly in Pythagorean Numerology is: 1
Popularity rank by frequency of use
Translations for gadfly
From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary
- النعرةArabic
- urostifter, provokatørDanish
- BlutsaugerGerman
- αλογόμυγαGreek
- gadflyEsperanto
- tábanoSpanish
- گندلهPersian
- häirikkö, piikittelijä, verenimijäFinnish
- taonFrench
- gadflyIrish
- घुड़मक्खीHindi
- bogolyHungarian
- penggangguIndonesian
- tafanoItalian
- זְבוּב הַבָּקָרHebrew
- ガドフライJapanese
- 등에Korean
- atque formonsaLatin
- paardevliegDutch
- gadflyNorwegian
- chulo, chupistaPortuguese
- gadflyRomanian
- gadflySwedish
- оводUkrainian
- גאַדפליYiddish
- 虻Chinese
Get even more translations for gadfly »
Translation
Find a translation for the gadfly definition in other languages:
Select another language:
- - Select -
- 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
- 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
- Español (Spanish)
- Esperanto (Esperanto)
- 日本語 (Japanese)
- Português (Portuguese)
- Deutsch (German)
- العربية (Arabic)
- Français (French)
- Русский (Russian)
- ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
- 한국어 (Korean)
- עברית (Hebrew)
- Gaeilge (Irish)
- Українська (Ukrainian)
- اردو (Urdu)
- Magyar (Hungarian)
- मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
- Indonesia (Indonesian)
- Italiano (Italian)
- தமிழ் (Tamil)
- Türkçe (Turkish)
- తెలుగు (Telugu)
- ภาษาไทย (Thai)
- Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
- Čeština (Czech)
- Polski (Polish)
- Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
- Românește (Romanian)
- Nederlands (Dutch)
- Ελληνικά (Greek)
- Latinum (Latin)
- Svenska (Swedish)
- Dansk (Danish)
- Suomi (Finnish)
- فارسی (Persian)
- ייִדיש (Yiddish)
- հայերեն (Armenian)
- Norsk (Norwegian)
- English (English)
Word of the Day
Would you like us to send you a FREE new word definition delivered to your inbox daily?
Citation
Use the citation below to add this definition to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"gadfly." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2023. Web. 28 May 2023. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/gadfly>.
Discuss these gadfly definitions with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In