Dictionary Definition
gadfly
Noun
2 any of various large flies that annoy
livestock
User Contributed Dictionary
English
Noun
gadfly (plural: gadflies)- Any dipterous insect of the genus Oestrus, and allied group of botflies.
- A fly of various species, of the family Tabanid[ae], noted for buzzing about animals and sucking their blood.
- A horsefly.
- One who upsets the status quo by posing upsetting or novel questions, or attempt to stimulate innovation by proving an irritant see Wikipedia.
- A bloodsucker
- He's a regular gadfly and takes advantage of his friend's generosity.
Translations
an insect
- Hungarian: bögöly
a fly
- Hungarian: bögöly
a horsefly
- Dutch: paardenvlieg , horzel or
- Hungarian: bögöly
- Norwegian: klegg
one who upsets the status quo
(slang) a bloodsucker
Extensive Definition
Gadfly can refer to:
- Gadfly, a type of fly typically belonging to either the family Tabanidae (Horse-fly) or Oestridae (Botfly)
- Gadfly (social), a term for people who upset the status quo
- Gadfly (database), a relational database in the Python programming language
- The Gadfly, a novel by Ethel Lilian Voynich
- The Gadfly Suite, a musical suite by Dmitri Shostakovich for one of the films based on the novel The Gadfly
- Gadfly (mythology), sent by Hera to torment Io
- The Education Gadfly, the weekly e-bulletin of the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation
- Gadfly petrels, a group of petrels in the genera Bulweria and Pterodroma
- Gadfly Records, an independent record label
- Gadfly Online, an online and print magazine
- SA-11 "Gadfly", the NATO reporting name for a Russian surface-to-air missile system "9K37 Buk"
- The Gadfly (album), an album by hip-hop group LPG
Synonyms, Antonyms and Related Words
abettor, actuator, animator, cajoler, coax, coaxer, encourager, energizer, firer, gad, galvanizer, goad, impeller, inducer, inspirer, lash, mover, moving spirit, oxgoad, persuader, pleader, prick, prime mover, prod, prompter, rowel, spark, spark plug, sparker, spur, stimulator, sting, tempter, wheedler, whip, whiplash