stuffy

American  

[stuhf-ee] / ˈstʌf i /

adjective

stuffier, stuffiest

1. close; poorly ventilated.

   a stuffy room.

2. oppressive from lack of freshness.

   stuffy air; a stuffy odor.

3. lacking in interest, as writing or discourse.

   Synonyms:

   stodgy

4. affected with a sensation of obstruction in the respiratory passages.

   a stuffy nose.

5. dull or tedious; boring.

   Synonyms:

   stodgy

6. self-important; pompous.

   Synonyms:

   smug

7. rigid or strait-laced in attitudes, especially in matters of personal behavior.

   Synonyms:

   priggish

8. old-fashioned; conservative.

   Synonyms:

   stodgy

9. ill-tempered; sulky.

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stuffy British  

/ ˈstʌfɪ /

adjective

1. lacking fresh air

2. excessively dull, staid, or conventional

3. (of the nasal passages) blocked with mucus

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Other Word Forms

• stuffily adverb
• stuffiness noun
• unstuffily adverb
• unstuffiness noun
• unstuffy adjective

Etymology

Origin of stuffy

First recorded in 1545–55; stuff + -y ¹

Example Sentences

Being home-schooled meant I didn’t have to ride squished on a smelly old bus, or sit still in a stuffy room all day long.

From Literature

Petrol, raw fish, and stale sweat dominated a battle of odors for the stuffy space.

From Literature

On the run from her well-to-do, stuffy colonial background, she launched herself into London’s bohemia.

From The Wall Street Journal

It’s a stuffy space beneath the sloping garage roof, with maybe thirty birds in cages.

From Literature

“Sorry, it’s...just stuffy in here,” she said.

From Literature

Related Words

• arrogant
• dreary
• genteel
• humorless
• musty
• pompous
• self-important
• staid
• stodgy