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tippy

tippy

8 7.5
Unsteady and likely to fall over easily
  • adjective
  • /ˈtɪpi/
translation icon : inestable
  • Low, he has to stand on his tippy toes and stretch, reaching up just to touch down!
  • tippy boat
  • tippy toes

Examples

  • The top floor of the building housing the department store is a tower of ivory with a large, friendly sentinel of a cat at its tippy top.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • This tea is nicknamed "tippy tea" and is highly praised by many experts in the industry.

    Blog text (16)
  • They're tippy, poorly handling, and often driven by distracted mothers with no respect for the dangers of the road.

    Blog text (33)
  • Although the rack mount is unquestionably more attractive, I have heard from more than one bike shop that the rack mount can be problematic because that much weight placed high on the back of the bike can make it very tippy.

    Blog text (19)
  • The canoe was so tippy that I had to balance carefully to avoid falling out.

  • When we hit a wave, the small boat felt extremely tippy and unstable.

  • He felt nervous sitting on the tippy edge of the dock, worrying he might slip into the water.

Synonyms

unstable
vstippy
80 4.4

Not steady and likely to change, fail, or fall

is more narrowly about objects that easily overturn from poor balance
shaky
vstippy
53 3.3

Not firm or safe and likely to fail

is more about physical imbalance and risk of falling rather than general failure
precarious
vstippy
47 7.6

In a dangerous, unstable position likely to fall or fail

is narrower focusing on easy overturning rather than general danger or instability
wobbly
vstippy
36 3.6

Unsteady and likely to move from side to side

refers to being likely to fall over rather than only shaky movement
unsteady
vstippy
16 3.3

Not firm or balanced and likely to fall

is similar but focuses more narrowly on falling over from imbalance
rocky
vstippy
9 3.0

Something that moves in an unsteady way with sudden bumps

is about being likely to overturn rather than only being bumpy or jolting
wonky
vstippy
6 7.7

Not steady or straight and likely to wobble

is about the danger of falling rather than merely being misaligned
crank
vstippy
  • Jargon
3 9.1

A boat that easily tips in the water

is the general idea of instability not limited to waterborne heeling
tender
vstippy
  • Specialized
1 8.9

Likely to lean or tip easily when under sail

is a broader term for instability not restricted to sailing use
cranky
vstippy
  • Jargon
1 9.5

A boat that leans easily and feels unstable in the water

covers imbalance in objects generally rather than only water motion
tottery
vstippy
1 8.4

Unsteady and shaky because of weakness or old age

is more general covering any object liable to fall for many reasons
squirrely
vstippy
  • Informal
1 8.6

Moving in a way that is not steady and hard to control, like a car

is focused on poor balance and falling risk rather than sudden swerving
tipsy
vstippy
1 4.9

Unsteady and likely to fall to one side

is stronger meaning more liable to fall over rather than mildly off
teetery
vstippy
8.2

Unsteady and likely to fall or tip over

is broader meaning general instability and easy tendency to overturn
toppy
vstippy
9.2

Likely to fall because the top is heavy or unbalanced

describes instability generally rather than stressing a top heavy cause
toty
vstippy
  • UK
9.9

Shaky and likely to fall over when you touch it

is the broader unstable idea applicable to objects not just slight shaking
tumbly
vstippy
9.0

Is not steady and likely to fall or roll

is about being unstable in balance rather than only rolling movements
unsturdy
vstippy
4.8

Likely to wobble or break, like a weak chair

is focused on balance and falling rather than merely weak construction

Antonyms

473 2.3

Not likely to change and stays steady over time

86 3.3

Firmly fixed so it will not move or break

Compounds

A chair that is unstable and easily falls over

How Stable

stable
473 2.3
unsteady
16 3.3
wobbly
36 3.6
tippy
8 7.5
precarious
47 7.6

Surface Forms

tippy positive
tippier comparative
tippiest superlative

Morphology

tippy = tip (transparent) = tip + y

Formed by the productive adjective-forming suffix '-y' on 'tip', giving the straightforward meaning 'prone to tipping'.

Etymology

The word tippy comes from the simple word tip, which means 'to lean' or 'to fall to one side'. The ending -y means 'full of' or 'like', so tippy describes something that easily leans or is likely to tip over.