sniffy

[ snif-ee ]

/ ˈsnɪf i /

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

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

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Origin of sniffy

First recorded in 1865–70; sniff + -y¹

OTHER WORDS FROM sniffy

sniff·i·ly, adverbsniff·i·ness, noun

Words nearby sniffy

sniffer dog, sniffish, sniffle, sniffles, sniff out, sniffy, snifter, snifting valve, snig, snigger, snigging chain

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use sniffy in a sentence

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
Bearded sniffy old men sitting and demanding that we bear children.
Main Street|Sinclair Lewis
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
At Oxford, you know, they are a bit sniffy about the lecturers who arouse enthusiasm.
Atlantic Narratives|Mary Antin

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

British Dictionary definitions for sniffy

sniffy

/ (ˈsnɪfɪ) /

adjective -fier or -fiest

informal contemptuous or disdainful

Derived forms of sniffy

sniffily, 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

sniffy

Origin of sniffy

OTHER WORDS FROM sniffy

Words nearby sniffy

Words related to sniffy

How to use sniffy in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for sniffy

Derived forms of sniffy