snappish

[ snap-ish ]

/ ˈsnæp ɪʃ /

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adjective

apt to snap or bite, as a dog.

disposed to speak or reply in an impatient or irritable manner.

impatiently or irritably sharp; curt: a snappish reply.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

Origin of snappish

First recorded in 1535–45; snap + -ish¹

snap·pish·ly, adverbsnap·pish·ness, noun

Baylor’s exasperated boss is played by Christina Vidal—she corrects him repeatedly and wearily, a suggestion that his snappish anxiety has alienated everyone around him.
Just Try to Look Away From Jake Gyllenhaal’s Gripping Performance in The Guilty|Stephanie Zacharek|September 30, 2021|Time
The two were laughing: Mrs. Gum seemed in a less depressed state than usual, and the other less snappish.
Elster's Folly|Mrs. Henry Wood
His sharp teeth and snappish ways, and the bigness of his appearance when the fins are all displayed, keep the little fishes away.
Appletons' Popular Science Monthly, July 1899|Various
When her feelings were touched she had a way of growing curt and terse, sometimes even snappish.
Grandmother Dear|Mrs. Molesworth

I dislike Mr. Cleremont; he is always saying snappish things, and is never happy, no matter how merry we are.
That Boy Of Norcott's|Charles James Lever
But as the romantically impatient and sometimes a bit snappish Mrs. Penniman would say, he had never gone far.
The Wrong Twin|Harry Leon Wilson