😠 Irritable mood ⚡ Sharp pain

stabby

8.6

A sudden sharp pain like a knife in your body

adjective
/ˈstæbi/

Informal

: punzante

After running, she felt a stabby pain beneath her ribs that made breathing difficult.

Examples

Sometimes I get a stabby feeling in my knee when I climb stairs.
I felt a stabby pain in my side.
The cold wind gave him a stabby sensation in his ears as he walked outside.
The stabbiest part of the injury was the first day.
After running, she felt a stabby pain beneath her ribs that made breathing difficult.
The cold wind gave him a stabby sensation in his ears as he walked outside.
Sometimes I get a stabby feeling in my knee when I climb stairs.

Synonyms

stabbing

vsstabby

5.3

A sudden, sharp pain or very strong feeling that hurts a lot

is limited to physical sudden sharp pain rather than emotional pain

lancinating

vsstabby

Specialized

9.9

A very sharp, stabbing pain like being pierced

is less intensely piercing and less technical in tone

knifelike

vsstabby

6.9

A very sharp pain that feels like being cut

is more about a quick thrusting pain rather than a slicing cut

fulgurating

vsstabby

Specialized

9.9

A pain that is sudden and very sharp like an electric shock

is sharp and sudden but without the flashlike lightning image

Antonyms

gentle

235 1.0

Kind and not strong in action, sound, or touch

soothing

81 2.9

That makes pain or worry feel less strong

How Sharp

piercing

2 5.5

stabby

Informal

8.6

sharp

67 2.2

sore

192 1.0

dull

15 1.6

Surface Forms

stabby positive

stabby comparative

stabbiest superlative

Morphology

stabby = stab (transparent) = stab + y

Formed directly from 'stab' (a sudden sharp pain) + the adjectival suffix '-y'; the meaning 'causing or like a stabbing pain' is directly inferable.

Etymology

The word stabby comes from the verb stab ('to pierce or poke') and the ending -y, which means 'full of' or 'like'. So stabby means 'full of quick, sharp pokes', which is why we use it for sudden, sharp pains.