stuffily
- adverb
- /ˈstʌfɪli/
:
pomposamente
- She spoke stuffily, using overly formal language that made the conversation feel stiff.
Examples
-
The meeting felt stuffily structured, with strict rules governing how everyone could speak.
-
"You work hard to get it back," I said, somewhat stuffily, grateful beyond words when the waiter approached with our food.
Fiction book (1997) -
"Queer things, you know," said Maurice stuffily.
Blog text (31) -
He walked into the room and greeted everyone stuffily, as if he were in a formal ceremony.
Synonyms
1
7.7
In a proud, showy way to seem more important than others
1
8.8
In a stiff, formal way that does not feel natural
In a long, fancy way that sounds too important when speaking or writing
In a dull, boring way with little interest
In a proud, pushy way that shows too much confidence
In a very proper and fussy way
Antonyms
How Formal
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Stuffily comes from stuffy + -ly, and stuffy comes from stuff, meaning 'things that fill a space'. If a room is full of stuff it feels 'without fresh air', and by extension a person who is 'stuffy' seems 'formal and cold', so to act stuffily is to behave in a tight, formal, or airless way.