as in arrogant
having a feeling of superiority that shows itself in an overbearing attitude
she was sniffy about anyone who didn't live up to her standards for "good manners"
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Recent Examples of sniffy
In fact, it’s been positively sniffy about the entire concept.
—
Barry Collins, Forbes.com, 27 Feb. 2026
Some of the responses were a bit sniffy from critics and a little from audiences.
—Zack Sharf, Variety, 10 Feb. 2026
Even downtown buildings can get sniffy — one broker told me a client of his, a 30-year-old with hundreds of millions in assets, had been turned down from buying a $2 million Chelsea co-op.
—Kim Velsey, Curbed, 13 Aug. 2025
People in England — players, managers, fans, media —need to be less sniffy about the under-21s.
—Oliver Kay, The Athletic, 13 Mar. 2025
Their rewiring of Test cricket was thrilling everyone back in 2022 (apart from a sniffy Australia) when England became the first team to complete a clean sweep in Pakistan and in some style.
—Tim Ellis, Forbes, 4 Oct. 2024
When confronted with the American habit of ascribing an overseas soccer team’s style of play to its most recognizable national characteristics, Europeans tend to get a bit sniffy.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 28 June 2024
The Chinese Communist Party becomes sniffy about social media platforms collecting data on users in China.
—Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 23 Mar. 2024
Some systems can be overtly sniffy about poverty-spec audio files like this, but the KEF is not so judgmental.
—Simon Lucas, WIRED, 18 Jan. 2024
Barry Collins, Forbes.com, 27 Feb. 2026
Some of the responses were a bit sniffy from critics and a little from audiences.
—Zack Sharf, Variety, 10 Feb. 2026
Even downtown buildings can get sniffy — one broker told me a client of his, a 30-year-old with hundreds of millions in assets, had been turned down from buying a $2 million Chelsea co-op.
—Kim Velsey, Curbed, 13 Aug. 2025
People in England — players, managers, fans, media —need to be less sniffy about the under-21s.
—Oliver Kay, The Athletic, 13 Mar. 2025
Their rewiring of Test cricket was thrilling everyone back in 2022 (apart from a sniffy Australia) when England became the first team to complete a clean sweep in Pakistan and in some style.
—Tim Ellis, Forbes, 4 Oct. 2024
When confronted with the American habit of ascribing an overseas soccer team’s style of play to its most recognizable national characteristics, Europeans tend to get a bit sniffy.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 28 June 2024
The Chinese Communist Party becomes sniffy about social media platforms collecting data on users in China.
—Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 23 Mar. 2024
Some systems can be overtly sniffy about poverty-spec audio files like this, but the KEF is not so judgmental.
—Simon Lucas, WIRED, 18 Jan. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sniffy
arrogant
Adjective
-
The rabbi is ornery, arrogant, sometimes cruel.—
Daniel Felsenthal,
Vulture,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Those leaders who ignore or flout the law aren’t merely unethical but fatally arrogant, putting their childish willfulness over the wisdom of generations.—
David Brooks,
The Atlantic,
25 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sniffy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sniffy. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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