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
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
One half of the room loves the big and bold Bose signature sound, while the other half likes to be sniffy and snobbish about the brand that’s been dominating sectors of the consumer audio market since 1964.
—Mark Sparrow, Forbes.com, 17 July 2025
People in England — players, managers, fans, media —need to be less sniffy about the under-21s.
—Oliver Kay, The Athletic, 13 Mar. 2025
Some systems can be overtly sniffy about poverty-spec audio files like this, but the KEF is not so judgmental.
—Simon Lucas, WIRED, 18 Jan. 2024
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
To those who might feel a bit sniffy about the short-cuts around the hard work of making music that Mayk.
—David Prosser, Forbes, 9 June 2022
Kim Velsey, Curbed, 13 Aug. 2025
One half of the room loves the big and bold Bose signature sound, while the other half likes to be sniffy and snobbish about the brand that’s been dominating sectors of the consumer audio market since 1964.
—Mark Sparrow, Forbes.com, 17 July 2025
People in England — players, managers, fans, media —need to be less sniffy about the under-21s.
—Oliver Kay, The Athletic, 13 Mar. 2025
Some systems can be overtly sniffy about poverty-spec audio files like this, but the KEF is not so judgmental.
—Simon Lucas, WIRED, 18 Jan. 2024
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
To those who might feel a bit sniffy about the short-cuts around the hard work of making music that Mayk.
—David Prosser, Forbes, 9 June 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sniffy
arrogant
Adjective
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But this act of arrogant bullying should also re-kindle the spirit of hope and unity that swept through this community in the aftermath of that horrible night in 2016, that still binds Orlando in its 150th anniversary year.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
21 Aug. 2025
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Harry Potter fans might recognize Stroma for playing the arrogant Hogwarts student named Cormac McLaggen in the film franchise.—
Olivia Singh,
Forbes.com,
20 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sniffy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sniffy. Accessed 28 Aug. 2025.
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