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Nosy vs Inquiry - What's the difference?

nosy | inquiry |

As an adjective nosy

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

As a noun inquiry is

the act of inquiring; a seeking of information by asking questions; interrogation; a question or questioning.

nosy

English

Alternative forms

* nosey

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • 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.

    Synonyms

    * interfering * kibitzing * meddlesome

    Anagrams

    * ----

    inquiry

    English

    (wikipedia inquiry)

    Alternative forms

    * enquiry

    Noun

    (inquiries)
  • The act of inquiring; a seeking of information by asking questions; interrogation; a question or questioning.
  • Search for truth, information, or knowledge; examination of facts or principles; research; investigation; as, physical inquiries.

    • Usage notes

    According to Fowler's Modern English Usage'' (1926), ''inquiry'' should be used in relation to a formal inquest, and ''enquiry'' to the act of questioning. Many (though not all) British writers maintain this distinction; the Oxford English Dictionary, in its entry not updated since 1900, lists ''inquiry'' and ''enquiry'' as equal alternatives, in that order. Some British dictionaries, such as ''Chambers 21st Century Dictionary'' [http://www.chambersharrap.co.uk/chambers/features/chref/chref.py/main?title=21st&query=inquiry], present the two spellings as interchangeable variants in the general sense, but prefer ''inquiry'' for the "formal inquest" sense. In Australian English, ''inquiry'' represents a formal inquest (such as a government investigation) while ''enquiry'' is used in the act of questioning (eg: the customer enquired about the status of his loan application). Both spellings are current in Canadian English, where ''enquiry'' is often associated with scholarly or intellectual research. (See Pam Peters, ''The Cambridge Guide to English Usage , p. 282.) American English usually uses inquiry .

    References

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