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

When Gabriel Martinelli tried to crudely push Conor Bradley off the pitch at the end, I'm glad Konate stuck up for his team.

From BBC • Jan. 8, 2026

Updike stuck up for himself when faced with the magazine’s intrusively correct fiddling: In 1958 he sent one editor, William Maxwell, an unwavering paragraph against a single word.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 10, 2025

The kids are honest and sincere, not stuck up, not phony.

From Los Angeles Times • May 8, 2025

But Danny's creator stuck up for his boy: Absolutely not, Winslow told me, Danny would have spotted that "punk" miles away.

From Salon • Apr. 6, 2024

“She didn’t much take to living in the holler, I guess. Wanted to see the world. She hated being stuck up there in his little cabin, so one day she up and left.”

From "Ruby Holler" by Sharon Creech