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I was wondering what word could describe a person[s] that is trying to help somebody and feels like they are being empathetic towards them, but is trying to be ignored by the other person? I was thinking "falsely-empathetic" or "anti-empathetic", but it sounds to me like the character I'm describing is not trying to help at all?

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  • I got confused about who's doing what, but maybe you're looking for empathetic.
    – aparente001
    Commented Nov 28, 2016 at 7:43
  • To clarify, if I understand correctly: Alice wants to be left alone. Bob tries to help Alice. Bob is genuinely trying to be helpful, but he has failed to understand Alice's feelings -- her wish to be left alone. So he is not being empathetic. What is a word for the kind of person Bob is being when he offers unwelcome help and does not know it is unwelcome?
    – JeremyDouglass
    Commented Nov 28, 2016 at 10:23

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If the person is trying to help because they are nosey, then busybody would fit. If they are sincerely trying to help, but the attention is unhelpful or unwanted, then do-gooder would be more suitable.

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