Meaning & use

snippy

adjective·Everyday

Speaking in a short, irritable, or curt manner, often out of annoyance.

See it in a sentence

The cashier got snippy with customers after standing at the register all day.

Her snippy reply to a simple question surprised everyone at the meeting.

A note on using this word

Snippy is informal and describes tone rather than content; it suggests mild rudeness rather than real anger.

Words with a similar meaning

curtshort-temperedtesty

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

pleasantcourteous

Make it your own

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