snippy

American  

[snip-ee] / ˈsnɪp i /

Also snippety

adjective

snippier, snippiest

1. sharp or curt, especially in a supercilious or haughty way; impertinent.

2. scrappy or fragmentary.

---

snippy British  

/ ˈsnɪpɪ /

adjective

1. scrappy; fragmentary

2. informal fault-finding

3. dialect mean; stingy

---

Other Word Forms

• snippetiness
  noun
• snippiness
  noun
• snippily
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of snippy

First recorded in 1720–30; snip + -y ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

snippy snippier snippiest

"He comes over as snippy and as someone who's got something to hide, which is never a good look."

From Barron's ● Jul. 6, 2026

Domhnall Gleeson made his name in films like “Ex Machina” and “The Revenant” and as snippy General Hux in the “Star Wars” movies.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 21, 2026

Perhaps your friend was experiencing some anxiety about the day, which resulted in her being snippy with you.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 28, 2025

Instead, the Rangers head coach was was short, snippy and sombre.

From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2025

I didn’t know why I was being so snippy.

From "Moon Over Manifest" by Clare Vanderpool

And customers might be snippier than usual these days, too.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 5, 2021

As long as the sender wasn’t too obviously insane, I would reply – and the snippier the email, the jollier my tone, until I reached a kind of ringing, Julie Andrews high cheer.

From The Guardian ● Apr. 5, 2017

The conversation grew snippier as one effort after another failed, and the clock ticked down.

From New York Times ● Jul. 2, 2014

Leng becomes even snippier when she realizes that Terry and Jiale are bonding.

From Washington Post

I checked my e-mail, reading the backlog of letters from my mother, getting snippier as they progressed to the present.

From "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer

Elvira, Mrs. Brackett, Desire Peasly and the rest gave him the snippiest of bows when they met and whispered and giggled behind his back.

From Fair Harbor by Lincoln, Joseph Crosby