An inquisitive person is one who is bent on finding out all that can be found out by inquiry, especially of little and personal matters, and hence is generally meddlesome and prying.

J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)

Example sentences

nosy Tom doesn't seem to be as nosy as Mary seems to be.
inquisitive She is inquisitive, but I like her none the worse.

Popularity over time

Word	1850 → 2019	Trend
prying		rising
nosy		rising
inquisitive		rising

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

By length

4 letters: nosy²
6 letters: snoopy²
7 letters: curious³
8 letters: nosiness³
10 letters: snoopiness
11 letters: inquisitive⁴

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (nosy² = 2 syllables).