clubby

[kluhb-ee]

adjective

clubbier, clubbiest 

1. characteristic of a club.

   The room had a warm, clubby atmosphere.

2. very friendly; intimate; chummy.

   He became clubby with the bartender, who slipped him many free drinks.

3. socially exclusive; cliquish.

   Their group is very clubby and unfriendly.

4. inclined to join clubs.

clubby

/ ˈklʌbɪ /

adjective

1. sociable, esp effusively so

2. exclusive or cliquish

Other Word Forms

• clubbily adverb
• clubbiness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of clubby¹

First recorded in 1855–60; club + -y ¹

Example Sentences

Such clubby deference to the establishment combined with boilerplate pandering to progressive constituencies — learned from years of San Francisco and California politics — makes her the perfect solution to a problem that doesn’t exist.

From Los Angeles Times

It is not easy to find, tucked away in a courtyard between loading bays with no sign outside, adding to the clubby sense of exclusivity that must be part of the attraction.

From BBC

What price female solidarity and empowerment, after all, if the weapon of actualization is an abusive system, one that invariably draws Santosh into its clubby, scornful, vigilante mindset?

From Los Angeles Times

Like, when I spend a lot of time playing live with the band, I end up writing clubby music because I long for it.

From BBC

That cheeky term encapsulates the clubby jubilance of her biggest pop hits, but “Radical Optimism,” with its psychedelic electro-pop, complicates it.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• affable 
• affectionate 
• amiable 
• amicable 
• attentive 
• beneficial 
• chummy 
• cordial 
• familiar 
• favorable 
• good 
• helpful 
• loving 
• loyal 
• neighborly 
• peaceful 
• receptive 
• sympathetic 
• welcoming www.thesaurus.com