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

But Mr. Parker’s incorporation of clubby rhythms suggests neither mind-expansion nor hedonism but rather mathematical precision.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

After two years in her appointed role, she lost an election bid in 2011 but continued to make a name for herself in the tight-knit, clubby world of progressive West Hollywood politics.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The 72-year-old pop icon is hanging out on a September afternoon in a leafy alcove at the clubby musician’s spot that’s been her go-to in Los Angeles since the early 1980s.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

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.

Read more on 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.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

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