nippy
Americanadjective
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chilly or cold.
morning air that feels a bit nippy.
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sharp or biting; tangy.
This cheese has a good, nippy taste.
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Chiefly British Informal. nimble; agile.
adjective
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(of weather) chilly, keen, or frosty
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informal
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quick; nimble; active
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(of a motor vehicle) small and relatively powerful
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(of the taste of food) biting, sharp, or pungent
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(of a dog) inclined to bite
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of nippy
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
On a nippy Monday night at the Zebulon in Frogtown, a man wearing a Jason Voorhees T-shirt steps onto a purple-lighted stage and stands next to a drum set.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 9, 2025
"Here you find luxury cars that you don't even see in Europe," joked Moustapha from the wheel of a nippy little Suzuki.
From Barron's • Oct. 21, 2025
Too many of United's attacking players are the nippy variety, who find it easier to operate in small spaces.
From BBC • Jun. 24, 2025
Schiff’s rally, held on a nippy, mostly overcast morning, marked the start of a two-week statewide tour, with stops to include San Diego, Sacramento, Fresno and San Francisco.
From Washington Times • Feb. 11, 2023
Stella and Jojo nodded solemnly and headed out into the nippy, sparkling morning.
From "Stella by Starlight" by Sharon M. Draper
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
