nippy

[ nip-ee ]

/ ˈnɪp i /

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See 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.

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Origin of nippy

First recorded in 1565–75; nip¹ + -y¹

Words nearby nippy

nipple, nipplewort, Nippon, Nipponese, Nippur, nippy, nip-up, niqab, NIRA, Nirenberg, NIREX

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use nippy in a sentence

Summer is starting to retreat and the morning air is already nippy.
Our Trip to The Climate War's Ground Zero|Darren Aronofsky|September 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
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
The air was getting a little nippy, as Buster called it; so that several of the motorboat boys had donned their sweaters.
Motor Boat Boys' River Chase|Louis Arundel
He remembered that he had ridden in one a few days before and that it was what he called "nifty and nippy."
Mixed Faces|Roy Norton

Yer'd best look nippy and come into the kitchen and 'ave yer brekfus'.
Sue, A Little Heroine|L. T. Meade
Even elderly ladies who looked with abhorrence upon the drinking habit were not denied their wee bit nippy.
One Third Off|Irvin S. Cobb
He directed the men to help him onto his feet and soon came back with his old-fashioned nippy gait.
Personal Recollections of the War of 1861|Charles Augustus Fuller

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 of nippy

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

nippy

Origin of nippy

Words nearby nippy

Words related to nippy

How to use nippy in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for nippy

Derived forms of nippy