Synonyms

snippy

American

[snip-ee] / ˈsnɪp i /

Also snippety

adjective

snippier, snippiest

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

snippy British

/ ˈsnɪpɪ /

adjective

scrappy; fragmentary
informal fault-finding
dialect mean; stingy

"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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Etymology

Origin of snippy

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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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

Lily is vain and snippy and about as convincingly English as if the only research into her character was a season of “The Great British Bake Off.”

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 7, 2025

There’s nothing more appealing than watching a snippy Ford say some of the most outrageous lines on TV.

From Salon • Dec. 20, 2024

To the conductor, his wisecrack sounded like a snippy yap.

From "Dog Squad" by Chris Grabenstein

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023