Nudnik

Pronunciation: NUD-nik
Definition: a pestering, nagging, or irritating person; a bore.
Example Sentence: So say I’m a nudnik, a goof-off, no good. But that couldn’t be all that I am.

Some Fun Thoughts:

I used this word yesterday and wanted to give some context. Nudnik is a great word to call someone you have to spend a lot of time with but you don’t like. If there were an ad campaign for using nudnik, it would probably be like this:

[Girl, Susie, is sitting at a table while her annoying friend sits next to her droning on about something. Susie sighs.

She looks at the camera a la Jim of The Office and begins to speak.]

Susie: Man, I sure do wish there was a way to insult my friend without completely obliterating her off the face of the Earth. But I can’t think of any fun non-English words to get the job done.

[Man walks in wearing a nice suit.]

Man: Fear not, Susie. [He pushes the annoying friend, still talking, out of her chair.] Try nudnik, it’s a great word for your annoying friend here. It’s Yiddish. [He puts on sunglasses and gives Susie a high five.]

Susie: Wow, thanks, Mister!

See, what a good use of that word!

This is a super fun fact: the suffix -nik, meaning “one connected with or characterized by being,” is used in many different contexts, all connected to it’s Yiddish roots. You might know it from such words as beatnik (a personal love of mine), peacenik, neatnik, or even no-goodnik. The suffix -nik is frequently used in English to create nonce words that are often playfully jokey or slightly derogatory.

Susie: Isn’t learning just swell?

Man in suit: It sure is, Susie. It sure is.