stuck-up

American  

[stuhk-uhp] / ˈstʌkˈʌp /

adjective

Informal.

1. snobbishly conceited.

   Synonyms:

   snooty, snobbish, arrogant, vain

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stuck-up British  

adjective

1. informal conceited, arrogant, or snobbish

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Other Word Forms

• stuck-upness noun

Etymology

Origin of stuck-up

First recorded in 1820–30

Explanation

If you have an exaggerated opinion of yourself, believing you're smarter, more attractive, or just generally better than everyone else, you're stuck-up. If you talk about nothing but the awards you've won, and your friends might think you're stuck-up. You can also describe a stuck-up person as arrogant, snobby, or conceited. The adjective stuck-up is informal, but it's a great way to talk about someone who brags about himself and looks down on just about everyone else. Some experts guess that stuck-up comes from the idea of "having one's nose up in the air." We do know that it first appeared in print around 1830.

Example Sentences

She leaps on the wall dividing her home and that of her stuck-up neighbors, in heels no less.

From Salon • Feb. 4, 2026

“Every time you came in, whether you were new or had been there for so long, there was never a stuck-up feeling like you don’t belong.”

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 21, 2022

She is notable for playing a stuck-up new friend of Dorothy’s in a third-season episode.

From Washington Times • Apr. 23, 2022

She is notable to for playing a stuck-up new friend of Dorothy’s in a third-season episode.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 23, 2022

Nobody but Sol and Ellie—her parents—and a few stuck-up teachers had ever called her “Tally” before.

From "Uglies" by Scott Westerfeld