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

Let's be honest, Spurs are not an attractive team to watch at the moment, and they are very stuffy and scrappy whether they win or not.

From BBC

“There’s a reputation that museums, and particularly art museums, have of being kind of stuffy or like elitist or something like that, which is not something that I personally agree with,” says Critchley.

From The Wall Street Journal

“This doesn’t have to be a stuffy, fourth-wall drama,” says Michael Fell, the show’s creative director.

From Los Angeles Times

They played in stuffy venues in front of moshing teens—singers often passing the mic around for fans to join in.

From The Wall Street Journal

His sunsum jumbles my thoughts and makes the room stuffy with power.

From Literature

Related Words

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