Added 4 October 2026
gadfly
/ˈɡædflaɪ/ noun
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about gadfly at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
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Any dipterous (“two-winged”) insect or fly of the family Oestridae (commonly known as a bot fly) or Tabanidae (horse fly), noted for irritating animals by buzzing about them, and biting them to suck their blood; a gadbee.
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A person or thing that irritates or instigates. A person who upsets the status quo by posing novel or upsetting questions, or attempts to stimulate innovation by being an irritant.
He’s a regular gadfly and takes advantage of his friend’s generosity.
- A person or thing that irritates or instigates. A person who upsets the status quo by posing novel or upsetting questions, or attempts to stimulate innovation by being an irritant.
Origin
From gad (“sharp point, spike; (dialectal) sharp-pointed rod for driving cattle, horses, etc., goad”) + fly, in the sense of a fly which irritates cattle, etc., by biting them, similar to the prodding of a goad. Gad is derived from Middle English gad, gadde (“metal spike with a sharp point; stick with a sharp point for driving animals, goad; metal bar or rod, ingot; (by extension) lump of material; metal rod for measuring land; (by extension) unit of linear measure equal to about 10 to 16 feet”), borrowed from Old Norse gaddr (“spike; goad”), from Proto-Germanic *gazdaz (“spike; goad”), further etymology uncertain. Displaced native Old English bēaw.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)