sniffy

[ snif-ee ]

/ ˈsnɪf i /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR sniffy ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, snif·fi·er, snif·fi·est. Informal.

inclined to sniff, as in scorn; disdainful; supercilious: He was very sniffy about breaches of etiquette.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of sniffy

First recorded in 1865–70; sniff + -y¹

Related formssniff·i·ly, adverbsniff·i·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for sniffy

If she thinks people are unkind to Daisy or sniffy about her, she'll stick to her like a leech.
East of Suez|William Somerset Maugham
In the superfine circles of the Sniffy, this fact is sufficient to condemn them unread.
Side Lights|James Runciman
There was the father mouse, and the mother mouse, and Sharpeyes, and Sniffy.
The Child's World|Hetty Browne, Sarah Withers, W.K. Tate
Then when Amy was so sniffy—excuse me, Amy—about having boys in the party, why, I had to promise not to tell.
Amy in Acadia|Helen Leah Reed

This you will find obscure, but study it well—though strictly in private, so as not to give me away as a sniffy critic.
The Letters of Henry James, Vol. II|Henry James

British Dictionary definitions for sniffy

sniffy

/ (ˈsnɪfɪ) /

adjective -fier or -fiest

informal contemptuous or disdainful

Derived Formssniffily, adverbsniffiness, 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