sniffy

[ snif-ee ]
See synonyms for sniffy on Thesaurus.com
adjective,snif·fi·er, snif·fi·est.Informal.
  1. inclined to sniff, as in scorn; disdainful; supercilious: He was very sniffy about breaches of etiquette.

Origin of sniffy

1
First recorded in 1865–70; sniff + -y1

Other words from sniffy

  • sniff·i·ly, adverb
  • sniff·i·ness, noun

Words Nearby sniffy

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

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.

  • 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
  1. informal contemptuous or disdainful

Derived forms of sniffy

  • sniffily, adverb
  • sniffiness, 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