adjective
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impertinent
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pert; jaunty
a saucy hat
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of saucy
Explanation
You can use saucy to describe someone who likes to cause trouble, but usually in a playful and funny way. Saucy is also a good word for a person who really likes to flirt. In the novel Oliver Twist, the character the Artful Dodger goes to court for stealing. During his hearing, the ten-year-old screams, “I am an Englishman; where are my rights?” Saucy words from a saucy child. A saucy comment makes people gasp because it’s surprising and a little dangerous or edgy. Saucy can also describe a person who is boldly flirtatious.
Vocabulary lists containing saucy
Words from Shakespearean Insults
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Twelfth Night
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"Two Kinds" by Amy Tan
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Meal one: Something saucy, a little elegant Early in the week, I like to lean into moisture — something that coaxes the chicken back to life in a way that feels intentional, not remedial.
From Salon ● Apr. 26, 2026
I haven’t yet executed this masterpiece — I need to be in the right mood, saucy enough — but perhaps this week is the week.
From Salon ● Sep. 16, 2025
Lola Young, “Messy” From the nation — not to mention the performing arts academy — that brought you “Rehab” comes another instant classic of saucy throwback soul.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2025
Tofu is a truly versatile protein, making it equally capable of being a crispy, saucy centerpiece or a subtle side.
From Salon ● May 21, 2025
“Neglectful parents,” quoted Merlyn, who was in a scholarly mood, “and saucy, perverse children.”
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
Green has a toothier texture and fresher flavor; red is saucier with dusky, earthen undertones.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 12, 2026
It is launching improvements to its burgers including softer buns that are toasted and saucier Big Macs.
From Reuters ● Apr. 25, 2023
A “true” regulation-size Neapolitan pizza can be broken down by ingredient to the gram: 60 to 80 grams of approved tomatoes on a margherita, and 70 to 100 on a marinara, which is slightly saucier.
From New York Times ● Apr. 4, 2022
Here, I added quick-cooking shrimp, heating them until they curled and turned pink, and then stirred in boiled pasta shells, and a splash of pasta water, for a saucier, heartier dish.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 3, 2021
Mrs. Wellington," he said at length, "you have a saucier par excellence.
From Prince or Chauffeur? A Story of Newport by J. V. McFall
Ernst Lubitsch is best remembered today for directing some of the wittiest, sauciest Hollywood romantic comedies of the 1930s and ’40s.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 18, 2026
June 27 Jason Isbell / Lucinda Williams Isbell is both alt-country’s sauciest Twitter wit and one of its finest, heartrending songwriters.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 13, 2021
At 66, John Scofield remains one of jazz’s sauciest improvisers.
From New York Times ● Sep. 28, 2018
Shirky’s was only the sauciest form of an argument I heard whenever I mentioned to my techno-utopian friends that I identified with Carr’s distress.
From Slate ● Aug. 16, 2018
"Did I engage to dance with all of you?" she said, giving her lily stem the sauciest little swing, which set all the bells ringing.
From Little Saint Elizabeth and Other Stories by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
