Synonyms of stuffy

stuffy

adjective

ˈstə-fē 

1

as in close

lacking fresh air

the house was very stuffy after being closed up for a month

Synonyms & Similar Words

• close
• stifling
• suffocating
• breathless
• thick
• airless
• oppressive
• heavy
• unventilated
• fuggy

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• breezy
• airy
• sweet
• refreshing
• unstuffy
• brisk
• bracing
• reviving
• restorative
• ventilated
• invigorating
• refreshed

2

as in boring

causing weariness, restlessness, or lack of interest

nothing stuffy about this science museum—it's all interactive and fun

Synonyms & Similar Words

• boring
• tiring
• slow
• dusty
• old
• dull
• stupid
• weary
• wearying
• heavy
• annoying
• stodgy
• dry
• irritating
• drab
• monotonous
• stale
• uninteresting
• tiresome
• tedious
• dreary
• humdrum
• tame
• pedestrian
• leaden
• arid
• wearisome
• colorless
• ponderous
• monochromatic
• numbing
• jejune
• sterile
• ho-hum
• flat
• exhausting
• mind-numbing
• jading
• pallid
• drudging
• blah
• unimaginative
• soggy
• prosaic
• spiritless
• gray
• prosy
• barren
• unexciting
• pedantic
• irksome
• blank
• dullish
• uninspiring
• aseptic
• bothersome
• unrewarding
• draining
• earthbound
• uneventful
• inanimate
• unsensational
• undramatic
• unspectacular
• ordinary
• fatiguing
• cumbersome
• debilitating
• wearing
• common
• discouraging
• vapid
• dispiriting
• poky
• commonplace
• enervating
• suspenseless
• tepid
• pleasureless
• demoralizing
• unnewsworthy
• unexceptional
• lumbering
• disheartening
• plodding
• unsurprising
• palling
• longsome
• enfeebling

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• interesting
• involving
• engaging
• intriguing
• wonderful
• surprising
• engrossing
• exciting
• absorbing
• riveting
• spectacular
• gripping
• amazing
• sensational
• wondrous
• entertaining
• stimulating
• awesome
• amusing
• marvelous
• fabulous
• exhilarating
• inspiring
• charming
• astonishing
• thrilling
• rousing
• breathtaking
• attractive
• astounding
• energizing
• electrifying
• moving
• stirring
• alluring
• animating
• enchanting
• fascinating
• invigorating
• enlivening
• poignant
• attracting
• touching
• entrancing
• enthralling
• beguiling
• bewitching
• rip-roaring
• galvanizing
• diverting
• provocative
• eye-opening
• hair-raising
• suspenseful
• captivating
• tantalizing
• spellbinding
• arresting
• mesmerizing

3

as in irritable

easily irritated or annoyed

those nursing home residents with a reputation for being chronically stuffy were usually the last to receive attention

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of stuffy

However, during the fall and spring months, when the temperature inside the home is already comfortable, the air can get stuffy, especially if the windows have been closed due to rain, strong winds, or other unpleasant weather. — Timothy Dale, The Spruce, 24 Aug. 2026

An overly stuffy arena in Toronto on Tuesday led to Mitchell feeling overheated and sitting the entirety of the fourth quarter out of an abundance of caution. — Brian Hamilton, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026

If tennis then had an image as exclusive, white, and stuffy, the West Side Tennis Club epitomized it. — Ben Ryder Howe, Curbed, 21 Aug. 2026

When the heat arrived, my father, feeling ill and uncomfortable in a stuffy apartment (only a small fraction of Parisian apartments have air-conditioning), decided to end his trip early, returning to Chicago. — Eric Klinenberg, New Yorker, 20 Aug. 2026