as in arrogant
having a feeling of superiority that shows itself in an overbearing attitude
she was sniffy about anyone who didn't live up to her standards for "good manners"
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Recent Examples of sniffy
Those who are a bit sniffy about older movies will be surprised at how modern and dangerous this feels.
—
Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Apr. 2026
In fact, it’s been positively sniffy about the entire concept.
—Barry Collins, Forbes.com, 27 Feb. 2026
Some of the responses were a bit sniffy from critics and a little from audiences.
—Zack Sharf, Variety, 10 Feb. 2026
Even downtown buildings can get sniffy — one broker told me a client of his, a 30-year-old with hundreds of millions in assets, had been turned down from buying a $2 million Chelsea co-op.
—Kim Velsey, Curbed, 13 Aug. 2025
People in England — players, managers, fans, media —need to be less sniffy about the under-21s.
—Oliver Kay, The Athletic, 13 Mar. 2025
Their rewiring of Test cricket was thrilling everyone back in 2022 (apart from a sniffy Australia) when England became the first team to complete a clean sweep in Pakistan and in some style.
—Tim Ellis, Forbes, 4 Oct. 2024
When confronted with the American habit of ascribing an overseas soccer team’s style of play to its most recognizable national characteristics, Europeans tend to get a bit sniffy.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 28 June 2024
The Chinese Communist Party becomes sniffy about social media platforms collecting data on users in China.
—Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 23 Mar. 2024
Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Apr. 2026
In fact, it’s been positively sniffy about the entire concept.
—Barry Collins, Forbes.com, 27 Feb. 2026
Some of the responses were a bit sniffy from critics and a little from audiences.
—Zack Sharf, Variety, 10 Feb. 2026
Even downtown buildings can get sniffy — one broker told me a client of his, a 30-year-old with hundreds of millions in assets, had been turned down from buying a $2 million Chelsea co-op.
—Kim Velsey, Curbed, 13 Aug. 2025
People in England — players, managers, fans, media —need to be less sniffy about the under-21s.
—Oliver Kay, The Athletic, 13 Mar. 2025
Their rewiring of Test cricket was thrilling everyone back in 2022 (apart from a sniffy Australia) when England became the first team to complete a clean sweep in Pakistan and in some style.
—Tim Ellis, Forbes, 4 Oct. 2024
When confronted with the American habit of ascribing an overseas soccer team’s style of play to its most recognizable national characteristics, Europeans tend to get a bit sniffy.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 28 June 2024
The Chinese Communist Party becomes sniffy about social media platforms collecting data on users in China.
—Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 23 Mar. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sniffy
arrogant
Adjective
-
The tension between the two boils over into a confrontation which only Eisenhower can adjudicate, a task complicated by his own arrogant British subordinate, a wiry and dislikable General Bernard Montgomery - played with a villainous verve bordering on the pantomime by Damian Lewis.—
Daniel Jonah Wolpert,
NPR,
29 May 2026
-
Public policy decisions always need to strive for middle ground, and those leadership decisions often referred to as arrogant can just as easily be called principled leadership.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
23 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sniffy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sniffy. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
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