nippy

[ nip-ee ]

/ ˈnɪp i /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR nippy ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, nip·pi·er, nip·pi·est.

chilly or cold: morning air that feels a bit nippy.

sharp or biting; tangy: This cheese has a good, nippy taste.

Chiefly British Informal. nimble; agile.

Nearby words

nipple shield, nipplewort, nippon, nipponese, nippur, nippy, niqab, nira, nirenberg, nirex, niridazole

Origin of nippy

First recorded in 1565–75; nip¹ + -y¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for nippy

But Nippy would keep on doing it until everything was gone.
Speed Read: Juiciest Bits From Cissy Houston’s ‘Remembering Whitney’|Melissa Leon|January 31, 2013|DAILY BEAST
They carry the mail over vast, snowy wildernesses, and even sometimes to Dawson, when the air is not too nippy.
The Bungalow Boys North of Fifty-Three|Dexter J. Forrester
Then, as the air was nippy with frost, Miss Brazilla hurried indoors again.
Rilla of the Lighthouse|Grace May North
Right in front of him was Nippy, worrying the wriggling tail with her sharp teeth like a little terrier.
Wild Folk|Samuel Scoville

Efter a while I felt a bit sleepy; 'twere t' nippy air, an' mebbe t' seet o' t' fallin' watter dazed my een.
More Tales of the Ridings|Frederic Moorman
Little "Nippy," my beloved fox terrier, and constant companion, rushed into the laboratory and ran up to me.
The Bell Tone|Edmund H. Leftwich

British Dictionary definitions for nippy

nippy

/ (ˈnɪpɪ) /

adjective -pier or -piest

(of weather) chilly, keen, or frosty

British informal

quick; nimble; active
(of a motor vehicle) small and relatively powerful

(of the taste of food) biting, sharp, or pungent

(of a dog) inclined to bite

Derived Forms

nippily, adverbnippiness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012