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The Gadfly of Athens
It's easy to guess what puts the fly in gadfly: in its oldest meaning, fly refers to a winged insect. But (gadzooks!) what about the gad? As a standalone English word, gad means "chisel," but it once could be used for a spike, spear, or rod for goading cattle. It was in the 16th century that gad was joined with fly to refer to any of several insects that bother livestock. Before too long, English speakers began applying gadfly to people who annoy or provoke others. One of history's most famous gadflies was the philosopher Socrates, who was known for his constant questioning of his fellow Athenians' ethics, misconceptions, and assumptions. In his Apology, Plato describes Socrates' characterization of Athens as a large and sluggish horse and of Socrates himself as the fly that bites and rouses it. Many translations use gadfly in this portion of the Apology, and Socrates is sometimes referred to as the "gadfly of Athens."
Synonyms
Examples of gadfly in a Sentence
Bill Laytner, Detroit Free Press, 7 Aug. 2024
In this and other accounts of the conspiracy candidate and gadfly candidate, the picture that emerges is that of a consummate opportunist who wants to turn his Uncle Jack’s famous words on their head; what, RFK Jr. asks, can this country do for him?
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 6 Aug. 2024
Political tumult in Arizona opened a path for a perennial election gadfly with anti-government leanings to win the governor’s race in 1986.
—Amanda Luberto, The Arizona Republic, 24 July 2024
Nobody came forward to oppose her (except perhaps Sen. Joe Manchin, who isn’t even a Democrat, and gadfly Marianne Williamson).
—Dana Milbank, Washington Post, 22 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for gadfly 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gadfly.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Gadfly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gadfly. Accessed 22 Aug. 2024.
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gadfly
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gadfly
noun
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