nippy

American  

[nip-ee] / ˈnɪp i /

adjective

nippier, nippiest

1. chilly or cold.

   morning air that feels a bit nippy.

2. sharp or biting; tangy.

   This cheese has a good, nippy taste.

3. Chiefly British Informal. nimble; agile.

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nippy British  

/ ˈnɪpɪ /

adjective

1. (of weather) chilly, keen, or frosty

2. informal

   1. quick; nimble; active

   2. (of a motor vehicle) small and relatively powerful

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

4. (of a dog) inclined to bite

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Other Word Forms

• nippiness
  noun
• nippily
  adverb

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Etymology

Origin of nippy

First recorded in 1565–75; nip ¹ + -y ¹

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

nippy nippier nippiest

Langer’s No. 44 is a hot pastrami Reuben sandwich with sauerkraut and nippy cheese on grilled rye bread.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026

"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

"It was everything that I felt like I was built for, although I was 5ft 3in. I was fast, nippy and not frightened to get stuck in," she says.

From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2023

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

The nippier Leceile improved all last year and may be able to get away from these rivals.

From The Guardian ● May 5, 2010

Popular pleasure shows itself in those hastening steps and brightened smiles encountered as the air grows nippier.

From Time Magazine Archive

The East throws a narrower and a nippier breed.

From The House with the Green Shutters by George Douglas Brown

It was a frosty morning, and ye waylaid the maister on his way to the school, and the tawse were nippier than ordinar' that mornin'.

From Bog-Myrtle and Peat Tales Chiefly of Galloway Gathered from the Years 1889 to 1895 by S. R. (Samuel Rutherford) Crockett

Do you think you can be a bit nippier in getting over the centreboard than you were last time.

From Priscilla's Spies by George A. Birmingham

On a recent trip to Japan, the press minibus wasn't the nippiest, its engine squealing to keep up with the slick Mercedes of the prime minister a dozen or so vehicles ahead.

From BBC ● Jun. 9, 2023

Bowe is among the most prolific wingers in Europe and the rapidly emerging Gilroy is among the nippiest, having made an eye-catching start to his Test career last month.

From The Guardian ● Dec. 14, 2012

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