stroppy
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
- stroppily adverb
- stroppiness noun
Etymology
Origin of stroppy
1950–55; perhaps (ob)strep(erous) + -y 1, though o is unexplained
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.
She goes against his precepts and disobeys his orders — they appear as onscreen italic titles — and he gets stroppy, as a father would.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2025
Fabio Silva is off and he's furiously muttering to himself as he's hooked, tearing the tape off his wrist bands like a stroppy teenager.
From BBC • Apr. 14, 2024
Frank Buckley, a stroppy World War I veteran who managed Blackpool, Wolves, and Leeds, is forever remembered for his massive tweed baggy knickers.
From Slate • Jul. 14, 2018
Sadly, it has often been the foul mouth, the stroppy sulks and the occasional bouts of 'tanking' that have grabbed most of the headlines -- until this year that is.
From Reuters • May 23, 2017
Sleeves are its thing, partly because stompy teenagers are also its thing, and stroppy youth and too-long sleeves go hand in hand.
From The Guardian • Oct. 3, 2016
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
