GAD-fly

Definition

(noun) A person who persistently provokes, annoys, or challenges others, especially those in positions of power or complacency, in order to stimulate change

Example

The journalist had a reputation as a gadfly, asking the uncomfortable questions that everyone else in the room was too polite to raise.

Word Origin

Gadfly is a compound of gad — from the Old Norse gaddr, meaning “spike” or “sting” — and fly, referring to the actual biting insect that torments livestock. The literal gadfly is a large biting fly that drives cattle into a frenzy, and the metaphorical extension to people who persistently sting and provoke has been in use since at least the 16th century.