Synonyms of snippy

snippy

adjective

ˈsni-pē 

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

• blunt
• abrupt
• curt
• gruff
• short
• brusque
• rude
• outspoken
• crusty
• downright
• unceremonious
• bluff
• crass
• snappish
• honest
• short-spoken
• frank
• candid
• straightforward
• vulgar
• rough
• plain
• forthright
• tactless
• discourteous
• direct
• impolite
• disrespectful
• inconsiderate
• insensitive
• brief
• terse
• undiplomatic
• impertinent
• laconic
• plainspoken
• earnest
• reserved
• straight-out
• point-blank
• open
• artless
• sincere
• coarse
• reticent
• closemouthed
• free-spoken
• uncouth
• crude
• tight-lipped
• foursquare
• low

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• polite
• diplomatic
• courteous
• civil
• circuitous
• tactful
• gracious
• considerate
• smooth
• suave
• talkative
• loquacious
• voluble
• politic
• mealymouthed
• prolix
• verbose
• long-winded
• genteel
• polished
• gallant
• courtly
• cultivated
• refined

2

as in irritable

easily irritated or annoyed

feeling snippy after a long day of work

Synonyms & Similar Words

• irritable
• fiery
• snappish
• peevish
• testy
• petulant
• snarky
• grouchy
• grumpy
• irascible
• crabby
• crotchety
• waspish
• cranky
• pettish
• raspy
• cross
• choleric
• short-tempered
• passionate
• out of humor
• out of sorts
• stuffy
• snippety
• sensitive
• prickly
• quick-tempered
• short
• cantankerous
• querulous
• ornery
• snappy
• ratty
• curmudgeonly
• perverse
• surly
• belligerent
• argumentative
• disagreeable
• contentious
• combative
• pugnacious
• bilious
• snarly
• fretful
• bellicose
• dyspeptic
• tetchy
• huffy
• sulky
• ill-tempered
• quarrelsome
• pouty
• truculent
• sullen
• ill-natured
• ill-humored
• fractious
• scrappy
• bearish
• disputatious
• off-color
• touchy
• cross-grained
• thin-skinned
• hot-blooded

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• friendly
• cordial
• affable
• outgoing
• gregarious
• amiable
• sweet
• genial
• sociable
• companionable
• good-natured
• extroverted
• agreeable
• easygoing
• carefree
• relaxed
• good-tempered
• patient
• tolerant
• well-disposed
• stoic
• forbearing
• understanding
• long-suffering
• uncomplaining
• obliging
• happy-go-lucky

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

• arrogant
• pretentious
• pompous
• proud
• smug
• grandiose
• ostentatious
• high-minded
• rude
• affected
• la-di-da
• highfalutin
• uppity
• supercilious
• bumptious
• conceited
• high-and-mighty
• sententious
• aggressive
• cavalier
• snobbish
• snobby
• haughty
• high-handed
• presumptuous
• grandiloquent
• vainglorious
• complacent
• disdainful
• prideful
• imperious
• vain
• confident
• egotistic
• self-important
• assertive
• important
• egoistic
• self-centered
• boastful
• cocky
• insolent
• impudent
• high-sounding
• cheeky
• high-hat
• hoity-toity
• self-satisfied
• brassy
• high-toned
• self-obsessed
• self-dramatizing
• sure
• self-aggrandizing
• stuck-up
• self-conceited
• high-flown
• self-assertive
• overweening
• showy
• self-complacent
• superior
• self-promoting
• airy
• flamboyant
• self-assured
• self-glorifying
• gaudy
• self-pleased
• garish
• flashy
• audacious
• lordly
• braggart
• self-confident
• self-asserting
• glitzy
• bragging
• bold
• flaunting
• splashy
• forward

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• modest
• unpretentious
• humble
• meek
• lowly
• homely
• unassuming
• timid
• down-to-earth
• passive
• retiring
• quiet
• bashful
• shy
• unassertive
• demure
• mousy
• reserved
• diffident
• overmodest

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of snippy

McKellen lands every snippy bon mot and backhanded compliment that Julian doles out, but Coel makes every crack in Lori’s facade really count, as the mystery behind her commitment to Julian unfurls. — David Sims, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2026

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

What starts as a more snippy back-and-forth between the two eventually turns into an argument about Eddie Munson. — Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 26 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