STUFFY Synonyms: 266 Similar and Opposite Words

stuffy

adjective

ˈstə-fē

Definition of stuffy

as in close

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

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 stuffy Pseudoephedrine pills or nasal spray can relieve a stuffy nose or sinus pressure by restricting blood vessels and opening airways in your nasal passages. — Andee Tagle, NPR, 15 Oct. 2026 Even while dripping in haute couture, Edebiri somehow never appears stuffy or unapproachable — quite the opposite. — Bianca Betancourt, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2026 Flu symptoms may include fever, chills, a cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle or body aches, headaches, fatigue or gastrointestinal issues, such as vomiting and diarrhea, according to the CDC. — ABC News, 7 Oct. 2026 Seconds ticked by as the two of them stood there, silence unspooling in the stuffy entryway of the flat. — Rachel Heng, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for stuffy

Recent Examples of Synonyms for stuffy

Adjective

Hours after the attack, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said authorities found the bodies of three of the suspect's close family members -- two women and a man -- inside of his home in Ostrowiec Swietokrzyski, a city about 100 miles northeast of Krakow.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 8 Nov. 2026
Purdue cut the deficit to 34-29 on Ijeboi's TD run but couldn't get any closer.

— CBS News, CBS News, 8 Nov. 2026

Definition of close

Adjective

Harrison’s sociological portrait is attuned to the common idea that disaster can quickly become boring—or all too quickly assimilated and ignored.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 12 Nov. 2026
No one is going to notice a boring man in chunky acetate frames.

— Tyler Watamanuk, New Yorker, 10 Nov. 2026

Definition of boring

Adjective

And this new Godzilla, entirely computer-generated, is an irritable muscle of spikes and scales, or like a sort of angry gothic pineapple.

— Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 5 Nov. 2026
Murray says her own experience has made her more understanding when female colleagues seem more tired or irritable than usual, particularly when the behavior is out of character.

— Jo Ann Liguori, Flow Space, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of irritable

Adjective

For all the deserved talk about the Knicks’ dynamic offense, the defense has been far more stifling than their reputation suggests.

— Fred Katz, New York Times, 15 May 2026
Her mother, who had a staid upbringing in California, came to New York in the early sixties looking for someplace more diverse and less stifling.

— Molly Fischer, New Yorker, 2 Apr. 2026

Definition of stifling

Adjective

Using a touch screen even makes sense for limited interaction by digital content editors of all stripes, but reaching across the keyboard a lot is tiring, as with any touch laptop.

— Joe Osborne, PC Magazine, 5 Nov. 2026
Forget your previous experience—many of us think that exercise should be tiring and painful to work.

— Laura Solla, Vogue, 3 Nov. 2026

Definition of tiring

Adjective

The mood at Pleasantdale Elementary School was somber Thursday, as the school community grieved the loss of two students who died in a fiery train crash in Western Springs the day before.

— Marni Pyke, Chicago Tribune, 13 Nov. 2026
Run by the ever-battling twin brothers Patrius and Argentio Peck, the magazine is a fiery nest of secrets that Batter must learn to navigate to survive.

— Abby Hamblin, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Nov. 2026

Definition of fiery

Adjective

Scientists suspect that the combination of high heat and a suffocating deep-tropical air mass will be considered the worst humidity the region has experienced in the modern era.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2026
Eilish will play Greenwood, the brilliant young woman at the center of Plath’s semi-autobiographical story, which follows her descent into mental illness amid the suffocating expectations placed on women in 1950s America.

— SPIN Staff, SPIN, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of suffocating

Adjective

Increasingly, there are elevated places to stay that preserve the soul of this place, opening in a slow trickle like Valbona Resort and Spa (2024) and SeSam Villas in Theth (2025).

— Megan Spurrell, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 Nov. 2026
The Bears jumped out to a 9-2 lead as USC was slow getting going offensively and committed three quick turnovers.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 12 Nov. 2026

Definition of slow

Browse Nearby Words

stuffs

stuffy

stumble

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“Stuffy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stuffy. Accessed 14 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of stuffy

adjective

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