Meaning & use
snippy attitude
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Meaning
phrasecountableinformaldisapproving
A way of behaving that is rudely short and impatient, often with sharp remarks.
Grammar: Used as a countable noun phrase: a snippy attitude, her snippy attitude.
Patterns
- have a snippy attitude
- a snippy attitude toward someone
- with a snippy attitude
The new manager has a snippy attitude that makes staff afraid to ask questions.
She answered with a snippy attitude, as if every request were a waste of her time.
His snippy attitude in meetings has started to annoy the whole team.
Common combinations
- a snippy attitude toward someone
- He showed a snippy attitude toward the interns all week.
- have a snippy attitude
- If you have a snippy attitude, customers will complain.
- come across with a snippy attitude
- She came across with a snippy attitude on the phone.
- snippy attitude problem
- The coach said the player had a snippy attitude problem.
Synonyms and how they differ
- rude
- Rude is a general word for bad manners; snippy attitude is more specific to short, impatient, sharp replies.
- curt
- Curt describes very short speech that may seem unfriendly; it focuses on the words, while snippy attitude focuses on the whole manner.
- testy
- Testy means easily annoyed, often because of stress; snippy attitude suggests a habit of sharp, disrespectful replies.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: snippy attitude or snappy?
snippy attitude vs snappy
Snappy can mean quick or stylish, and 'a snappy attitude' is not common; snippy is the word for rude shortness.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'snippy attitude' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Only the first sentence describes a person's rude, short manner. The others use the phrase where a physical or unrelated meaning is needed, which does not fit.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “snippy attitude”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.