1
as in blunt
being or characterized by direct, brief, and potentially rude speech or manner
snippy remarks about the quality of the food at the church picnic
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in irritable
easily irritated or annoyed
feeling snippy after a long day of work
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in arrogant
self-consciously trying to present an appearance of grandeur or importance
I get tired of his snippy insistence that emulating the rich and famous is the only way to appear successful
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of snippy
Javier Ignacio is both soothing and snippy as the Beast’s confidante Cogsworth, a clock, while Cameron Monroe Thomas adds vivacity to the dour castle as the feather duster Babette.
—
Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 9 Apr. 2026
Leads Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman are skilled verbal ninjas who hurl razor-sharp insults at each other’s egos, and although their characters’ divorce happens in California, director Jay Roach lets the actors keep their snippy British accents.
—Amy Nicholson, Twin Cities, 14 Dec. 2025
No parents want to inflict emotional harm on their children, which is why most people strenuously avoid even getting snippy with their parents in front of the kids—and the guilt when an argument does break out can be immense.
—Sara Rowe Mount, Parents, 30 Oct. 2025
With the unlikely help of the snippy Teng (Andy Yu), Morrow learns that Petrovich was sneaking out of his cryo-pod to conspire with Kavalier.
—Noel Murray, Vulture, 3 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for snippy
Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 9 Apr. 2026
Leads Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman are skilled verbal ninjas who hurl razor-sharp insults at each other’s egos, and although their characters’ divorce happens in California, director Jay Roach lets the actors keep their snippy British accents.
—Amy Nicholson, Twin Cities, 14 Dec. 2025
No parents want to inflict emotional harm on their children, which is why most people strenuously avoid even getting snippy with their parents in front of the kids—and the guilt when an argument does break out can be immense.
—Sara Rowe Mount, Parents, 30 Oct. 2025
With the unlikely help of the snippy Teng (Andy Yu), Morrow learns that Petrovich was sneaking out of his cryo-pod to conspire with Kavalier.
—Noel Murray, Vulture, 3 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for snippy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for snippy
Adjective
-
The other man died from what a police official described as blunt force injuries.—
Tim Stelloh,
NBC news,
30 May 2026
-
Greta Lee is officially back on team bangs, debuting a blunt new fringe on Thursday at the UK premiere of Toy Story 5 in London.—
Mykenna Maniece,
Vogue,
29 May 2026
Adjective
-
Even Adam’s irritable female boss, Suzie (Sasheer Zamata), hides under a people-pleasing mask.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
3 June 2026
-
That’s because the Moon is at odds with Mars today and everyone is irritable.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
7 May 2026
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
Adjective
-
Markets have been whipsawed by the abrupt turns in rhetoric, but hopes that a ceasefire extension helped drive stocks toward a historic streak of weekly gains, even as sporadic attacks occur.—
Kate Sullivan,
Fortune,
30 May 2026
-
Backrooms delves into the mind of a furniture salesman stuck in a stagnant life, with an abrupt ending that hints at a possible sequel.—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2026
Adjective
-
Most smug articles and books that claim to provide quick fixes come off as tone-deaf or even counterproductive.—
Anna Holmes,
The Atlantic,
27 May 2026
-
But the series’ central character, played by Rachel Weisz, has enough nervous, itchy, manic energy to make the show’s narrative structure feel purposely unstable rather than safely smug.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
4 May 2026
Adjective
-
After three minutes of routine and relatively curt responses, Redick was asked about the difficulty of closing a team out in a playoff series.—
Law Murray,
New York Times,
1 May 2026
-
Our separation would need to be curt and the novel did it.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Service is polished but not pretentious.—
Irene S. Levine,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
-
Well-healed but not pretentious.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
25 May 2026
Adjective
-
Meanwhile, Ye-jin is drawn in by the caring nature beneath Matthew’s gruff surface.—
Kayti Burt,
Time,
29 May 2026
-
But the grizzled former Man in Black and man-who-failed-to-ground-Maverick isn’t known for playing the type of gruff ol’ cowpoke who’s about to break into song.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Snippy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/snippy. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
