snippy
18
6.7
- adjective
- /ˈsnɪpi/
:
cortante
- A few years ago, we found people working in the park to be pretty rude and snippy.
- get snippy
- snippy remark
- snippy little
It's a contemptuous, snippy, dismissive right.
- It's a contemptuous, snippy, dismissive right.
- I do get snippy and nasty and ick and I feel awful right away.
- The comments about this, you know, despite their reputation for politeness, Canadian people have been so snippy about this.
Examples
-
No wonder you got fired, you're so darn snippy.
-
She was snippy with her coworkers during the meeting, which made everyone uncomfortable.
-
Sir, you have no call to get snippy with me.
-
You were offered one earlier, sir, and you were snippy.
-
Don't you be snippy with me, young lady.
-
There's no need to be snippy, sir.
-
After six months, I sent a snippy note to Ballantine.
Fiction book (1999) -
Well, you don't have to get snippy with me.
Fiction book (1994) -
And things just kept piling on top of other things until I became quite snippy with my husband and the kids.
Blog text (10) -
Mayor Michael Bloomberg sometimes gets snippy with reporters asking him questions at his press conferences, as many reporters know.
Blog text (10)
Synonyms
100
3.8
Speaking in a direct, plain way that can sound rude
79
5.6
Abrupt and rude in speech or behavior
7
7.7
Rude and very short when speaking or acting
7
9.6
Having a rude, arrogant attitude often used to describe a child
2
7.2
Using very few words in a way that seems rude
2
7.2
Speaking in a short, angry way because you are annoyed
1
8.2
A person, often a child, who is rude and acts as if better than others
1
9.7
Feeling annoyed and in a bad mood
1
9.9
Having a sharp, unfriendly tone that criticizes others
1
8.7
Rude or cheeky when talking back to people in charge
A person who speaks in a rude, harsh way
Quick to say sharp things that hurt
Antonyms
Compounds
How Curt
Surface Forms
Morphology
snippy = snip (semi-transparent) = snip + y
The adjective is formed by adding the productive suffix '-y' to 'snip'; the connection to 'curt, sharp speech' is inferable if the learner knows 'snip' can mean making a short cutting or cutting remark, but many learners know only the 'cut' sense so the meaning is not fully obvious.
Etymology
The word snippy comes from the verb snip ('to cut') plus the ending -y, so you can picture words that 'cut' like a small quick cut. That's why someone who is snippy speaks in a short, rude, or 'cutting' way.