shirty
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of shirty
First recorded in 1840–50; shirt, in the phrase get someone's shirt out “to annoy” + -y 1
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.
"I got a bit shirty about it," Durham coach Campbell said.
From BBC ● Nov. 17, 2025
I tracked him down and he got very shirty with me, very like, "Who are you? Why are you asking? How did you find me?"
From Salon ● Dec. 19, 2023
He tells me he prefers to listen to jazz or classical music, but, asked why he favours those genres, responds with a shirty: “Cos that’s what I like.”
From The Guardian ● Oct. 31, 2019
They mean accidentally killing ourselves with something that we invent for our own benefit, that later acquires a mind of its own and a shirty attitude.
From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2017
“There’s no need to get shirty with me.”
From "I Am the Messenger" by Markus Zusak
![]()
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.