sassy

¹ American  

[sas-ee] / ˈsæs i /

adjective

Informal.

• sassier,
  comparative
• sassiest
  superlative

1. disrespectful or impudent; impertinent; insolent.

   Don't get sassy with me!

2. boldly stylish and smart; pert.

   a sassy red handbag.

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sassy ² American  

[sas-ee] / ˈsæs i /

noun

1. sassy bark.

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sassy ¹ British  

/ ˈsæsˌwʊd, ˈsæsɪ /

noun

1. a W African leguminous tree, Erythrophleum guineense, with poisonous bark ( sassy bark ) and hard strong wood

2. the bark or wood of this tree or the alkaloid derived from them, which is sometimes used in medicine

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sassy ² British  

/ ˈsæsɪ /

adjective

1. informal insolent, impertinent

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• sassiness
  noun
• sassily
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Adjectives

• sassier
  comparative
• sassiest
  superlative

Etymology

Origin of sassy¹

An Americanism dating back to 1830–1835; alteration of saucy

Origin of sassy²

First recorded in 1855–60; of uncertain origin

Explanation

Sassy means "bold or fresh." If you see your teacher in the grocery store with her attractive, well-dressed husband and you charge right over to say, "Who's the hunk?" that's being very sassy. Sassy comes from saucy, as in: bold, spicy, and impertinent. It's fun to be sassy when talking with friends, but when you start saying things to teachers, bosses, and other people's parents that would embarrass a more timid or manners-minded person, you probably have crossed the line from sassy to inappropriate. The same goes for sassy dressers — you have to know when to leave the neon heels at home.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sassy sassier sassiest

Viral baby elephant Linh Mai is apparently pretty sassy.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 16, 2026

A.I. can be sassy, but it cannot write the tenderness of a high school drama club.

From Slate ● Mar. 20, 2026

The story’s sassy, brassy antihero has likewise adorned Christmas trees and school library shelves for generations.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 25, 2025

When she is at home, Fahima said her daughter is "very sassy, very loud, loves singing and dancing", with a love of music, Disney films and arts and crafts.

From BBC ● Dec. 13, 2025

I don’t remember what exactly because I was only four, but knowing Mom, it was funny and sweet and sassy.

From "The Young Man and the Sea" by Rodman Philbrick

Modifying weights can make a model more polite, sassier or more prone to hallucination.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026

Neumeier is sassier with Bernstein, more stylized with Bach; in “Passion” his dancers, dressed in pristine white, create pictures of elegantly considered classical movement.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 19, 2022

For British contestants, likely weaned on the screaming matches and snogs of “Big Brother” and “The Only Way Is Essex,” the precedent is to be sassier, unbridled, more candid.

From The New Yorker ● Aug. 10, 2019

An all-black suit looked sassier on The Big Bang Theory’s Johnny Galecki thanks to his sparkly lapels.

From Slate ● Jan. 7, 2019

“They’re getting sassier every day,” she said loudly.

From "Black Like Me" by John Howard Griffin

"My goal when I put on the music is let me do the coolest shapes in the sassiest of ways," she says.

From BBC ● May 29, 2026

Tom wins with his "shrimp cocktail my way," which he explains after giving the sassiest facial expression for no discernable reason.

From Salon ● Mar. 17, 2023

And then there’s Jen Sincero, the sassiest of them all.

From Washington Times ● Jul. 19, 2016

One of the new album's sassiest tracks, "Blank Space," was sparked by what was being written about her in the tabloids.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2014

"An' wid the sassiest lace for trimmin'!—Och, the poor little motherless angels!—Stan' quiet, you young divil you, an' lemme button you up!"

From Australia Felix by Henry Handel Richardson