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.

Words related to sniffy

Words nearby sniffy

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

Origin of sniffy

First recorded in 1865–70; sniff + -y¹

OTHER WORDS FROM sniffy

sniff·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 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