peppery

[pep-uh-ree]

See more synonyms for peppery on Thesaurus.com

adjective

full of or tasting like pepper; hot; pungent.
of, relating to, or resembling pepper.
sharp or stinging: a peppery speech.

easily angered; bad-tempered; irritable; irascible: the peppery leader of a political faction.

Origin of peppery

First recorded in 1690–1700; pepper + -y¹

Related formspep·per·i·ly, adverbpep·per·i·ness, nounun·pep·per·y, adjective

Synonyms

See more synonyms for peppery on Thesaurus.com

1. spicy. 3. biting. 4. hot-tempered, hot-headed, testy, choleric.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for peppery

Contemporary Examples

Besides a trove of data showing that the rich really are getting much richer, the book is full of peppery Gallic asides.
We Need More Class Traitors: Solving America’s Meritocracy Problem
Jedediah Purdy
April 20, 2014
He ignored, too, his chairman of the Federal Reserve, Marriner Eccles, a small, peppery Mormon banker from Utah.
Stop Trying to Balance Budgets!
Harold Evans
June 28, 2010
Belgian ale like Chimay is rich with fruity and peppery notes and sometimes has a bitter aftertaste.
5 Pioneering Ways to Cook with Beer
Stacey Slate
February 2, 2010

Historical Examples

The goldsmith was a rude, peppery fellow, who did not mince his words.
Mistress Wilding
Rafael Sabatini
He was a small, stout man with a red face and a peppery manner.
The Return of Sherlock Holmes
Arthur Conan Doyle
She was a peppery little person, and her temper was up for the moment.
The Jolliest School of All
Angela Brazil
Did he prefer to be on good terms with his peppery neighbor?
Little Brothers of the Air
Olive Thorne Miller
It was invisible, but Fitz flushed and felt, after his fashion, peppery.
Fitz the Filibuster
George Manville Fenn

British Dictionary definitions for peppery

peppery

adjective

flavoured with or tasting of pepper
quick-tempered; irritable
full of bite and sharpnessa peppery speech

Derived Formspepperiness, 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

Word Origin and History for peppery

adj.

1690s, from pepper (n.) + -y (2). Figurative use from 1826. Related: Pepperiness.

peppery

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}peppery

Synonyms

Examples from the Web for peppery

Contemporary Examples

Besides a trove of data showing that the rich really are getting much richer, the book is full of peppery Gallic asides.

He ignored, too, his chairman of the Federal Reserve, Marriner Eccles, a small, peppery Mormon banker from Utah.

Belgian ale like Chimay is rich with fruity and peppery notes and sometimes has a bitter aftertaste.

Historical Examples

The goldsmith was a rude, peppery fellow, who did not mince his words.

He was a small, stout man with a red face and a peppery manner.

She was a peppery little person, and her temper was up for the moment.

Did he prefer to be on good terms with his peppery neighbor?

It was invisible, but Fitz flushed and felt, after his fashion, peppery.

peppery

Word Origin and History for peppery

adj.

Origin of peppery