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
In a high-pressure world of presidential campaigns, her arrival brought some measure of stability to the traveling roadshows and a professionalism to exhausted and snippy candidates.
—
Philip Elliott, TIME, 20 May 2024
He was being snippy with other dogs and facing a medical issue so mysterious that every test had been run and a doggy MRI ordered.
—Katherine Bindley, WSJ, 13 Nov. 2023
Saban turned and mentioned Bama Central reporter Austin Hannon by name and walked back a snippy response from Saturday’s postgame news conference.
—Michael Casagrande | McAsagrande@al.com, al, 6 Sep. 2023
For once, Miranda really sticks up for herself where Che is concerned, saying she’s been nothing but supportive after Che gets snippy with her.
—Aimée Lutkin, ELLE, 20 July 2023
See All Example Sentences for snippy
Philip Elliott, TIME, 20 May 2024
He was being snippy with other dogs and facing a medical issue so mysterious that every test had been run and a doggy MRI ordered.
—Katherine Bindley, WSJ, 13 Nov. 2023
Saban turned and mentioned Bama Central reporter Austin Hannon by name and walked back a snippy response from Saturday’s postgame news conference.
—Michael Casagrande | McAsagrande@al.com, al, 6 Sep. 2023
For once, Miranda really sticks up for herself where Che is concerned, saying she’s been nothing but supportive after Che gets snippy with her.
—Aimée Lutkin, ELLE, 20 July 2023
See All Example Sentences for snippy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for snippy
Adjective
-
Isaac Leal, 17, died on Monday, June 2, from a blunt force injury to the head, according to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office.—
Shambhavi Rimal,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
4 June 2025
-
His autopsy revealed his head had blunt force trauma.—
Julia Marnin,
Miami Herald,
3 June 2025
Adjective
-
Cass fulfills his obligations in a particularly irritable way.—
Jesse Hassenger,
Vulture,
30 Apr. 2025
-
One person’s fatigue is another’s back pain, is another’s migraine or irritable bowel, or long Covid, and so on.—
Jessica DuLong,
CNN Money,
11 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Richard was known for being outspoken, if not arrogant, consistently rubbing his Tagi tribe the wrong way and offending some of them with his blatant display of nudity on the island.—
Nick Caruso,
TVLine,
27 May 2025
-
Multiple people described him to me as unpopular and arrogant.—
Amanda Chicago Lewis,
Harpers Magazine,
29 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Ease off the gas pedal gradually and avoid abrupt braking to prevent skidding.—
Bay Area Weather Report,
Mercury News,
1 June 2025
-
Gradually ease off the accelerator and avoid abrupt braking to prevent skidding.—
Southern California Weather Report,
Oc Register,
1 June 2025
Adjective
-
Wine doesn’t have to be pretentious or complicated.—
Liz Thach,
Forbes.com,
7 May 2025
-
Trust the French to come up with the most pretentious word in the dictionary.—
Dwight Garner,
New York Times,
28 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
That memory is a very short but powerful memory to me.—
Nicole Fell,
HollywoodReporter,
9 June 2025
-
Pool offers a short menu of beef burgers, turkey burgers, hot dogs and fries.—
Jenn Harris,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2025
Adjective
-
The film will follow a pompous food critic (Roth) and the earnest son-of-a-chef (Fernández) who must outcook, outrun, and outwit a ruthless queen-pin (Higareda Howes) in order to save the son’s family restaurant – and themselves.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
7 May 2025
-
Jain didn’t barge onto the scene with the pompous bravado as many others do.—
Alexander Puutio,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2025
Adjective
-
While Hornets fans were not as gruff as New York Knicks or Boston Celtics supporters, Charlotte pro basketball fans were among the leaders who posted a specific swear word.—
Kendrick Marshall,
Charlotte Observer,
6 June 2025
-
Paul is lovable but gruff, while Jimmy is lost and a bit broken after having lost his wife in a drunk driving accident.—
Hedy Phillips,
People.com,
2 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Snippy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/snippy. Accessed 13 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share