Definitions
- Referring to interfering in someone else's business or affairs without permission. - Talking about getting involved in a situation that does not concern you. - Describing an action that disrupts or changes something that was already established.
- Referring to interfering with something in a way that is unauthorized or harmful. - Talking about changing or altering something without permission or proper authority. - Describing an action that manipulates or damages something that was already established.
List of Similarities
- 1Both involve interfering with something.
- 2Both can have negative consequences.
- 3Both can be done without permission or proper authority.
What is the difference?
- 1Intention: Meddling may not necessarily have harmful intentions, while tampering often involves malicious intent.
- 2Scope: Tampering is usually more severe and involves changing or damaging something, while meddling can be less severe and involve simply interfering or getting involved.
- 3Context: Tampering is often used in legal or technical contexts, while meddling is more commonly used in personal or social contexts.
- 4Connotation: Meddling can have a neutral or slightly negative connotation, while tampering is almost always negative.
- 5Outcome: Meddling may or may not result in a change or disruption, while tampering almost always results in a change or damage to something.
Remember this!
Meddle and tamper are both verbs that describe interfering with something without permission or proper authority. However, the difference between them lies in their intention, scope, context, connotation, and outcome. Meddling can be less severe and involve simply interfering or getting involved, while tampering is usually more severe and involves changing or damaging something with malicious intent.
