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gadfly
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As a noun, gadfly means any dipterous ("two-winged") insect or fly of the family Oestridae (commonly known as a botfly) or Tabanidae (horsefly), noted for irritating animals by buzzing about them, and biting them to suck their blood.
Meanings of gadfly
6 meaningsnoun
Any dipterous ("two-winged") insect or fly of the family Oestridae (commonly known as a botfly) or Tabanidae (horsefly), noted for irritating animals by buzzing about them, and biting them to suck their blood; a gadbee.
figurativelyalso attributivelyA person or thing that irritates or instigates.
figurativelyalso attributively(specifically) A person who upsets the status quo by posing novel or upsetting questions, or attempts to stimulate innovation by being an irritant.
figurativelyalso attributively(derogatory, slang) A person who takes without giving back; a bloodsucker.
“He’s a regular gadfly and takes advantage of his friend’s generosity.”
Any of various large flies that annoy livestockanimal
Synonym of gadabout ("a person who restlessly moves from place to place, seeking amusement or the companionship of others")
Meanings from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet (CC BY 4.0).