1
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
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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
This is not your stuffy and staid luxury hotel; the clientele at the Villa Magna was noticeably stylish, sophisticated, and attractive.
—
Erica Wertheim Zohar, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Off-Beat Moments Despite being a traditional decorating style that translates well to formality and grandeur, modern English style is not stuffy.
—Kristina McGuirk, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Aug. 2025
Thanks to open-cell technology, air flows easily through the material to prevent you from getting hot and stuffy while sleeping.
—Shea Simmons, People.com, 27 Aug. 2025
David Ketchum, the goofy comic actor and prolific TV writer best known for squeezing into such stuffy spaces as vending machines, trash cans and airport lockers as Agent 13 on the fabled sitcom Get Smart, has died.
—Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 22 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stuffy
Erica Wertheim Zohar, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Off-Beat Moments Despite being a traditional decorating style that translates well to formality and grandeur, modern English style is not stuffy.
—Kristina McGuirk, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Aug. 2025
Thanks to open-cell technology, air flows easily through the material to prevent you from getting hot and stuffy while sleeping.
—Shea Simmons, People.com, 27 Aug. 2025
David Ketchum, the goofy comic actor and prolific TV writer best known for squeezing into such stuffy spaces as vending machines, trash cans and airport lockers as Agent 13 on the fabled sitcom Get Smart, has died.
—Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 22 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stuffy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stuffy
Adjective
-
He was acquired, along with closer Victor Vodnik, in a July 2023 trade with the Braves for reliever Pierce Johnson.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
17 Sep. 2025
-
In the last fortnight alone, Starmer's Deputy Prime Minister and close ally Angela Rayner has resigned after a house tax scandal, triggering a major cabinet reshuffle.—
Holly Ellyatt,
CNBC,
17 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
But Anderson also knows that the moral purity of revolutionaries gets boring pretty fast.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
18 Sep. 2025
-
However, the McCullum and Stokes selection wagon prefers fast wheels rather than those boring job specs, such as age and experience.—
Tim Ellis,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
When the caffeine wears off, children may have a headache and feel irritable or tired.—
Dr. Mark Corkins,
Boston Herald,
14 Sep. 2025
-
He was adopted two weeks later, but after 18 months in his home, Scoob developed a painful skin condition that caused his ears to bleed and left him extremely irritable.—
Lydia Patrick,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Without a strict hierarchy or single decision-maker, our process can sometimes be slow, messy, or even tiring.—
Caterina De Biasio,
Vogue,
11 Sep. 2025
-
The film is a mess, opaque in its argument and tiring in its effortful weirdness, and yet in its best moments has a hypnotic pull.—
Richard Lawson,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Menu includes dishes like zajiang mian (noodles with a rich pork sauce), spicy noodles with beef and a variety of other tasty, fiery options.—
Brock Keeling,
Oc Register,
19 Sep. 2025
-
Mayfield’s fiery competitive style didn’t end when the clock hit triple zeroes.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
18 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The suffocating Benz pushed the lifelong asthmatic to the edge.—
Sam Bloch
August 8,
Literary Hub,
8 Aug. 2025
-
And with the team operating under the suffocating grip of new CBA, every dollar must work overtime.—
Brian Sampson,
Forbes.com,
17 June 2025
Adjective
-
With Onum folded into Falcon, logs stop being dusty records and start becoming live intelligence.—
Tony Bradley,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
-
There, water to sustain such a colony may be trapped less than a foot beneath the dusty red surface.—
Jackie Wattles,
CNN Money,
12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
After six hours of mistakes, misadventures, indifferent torture and even more indifferent murder, Black Rabbit finally locks in for 90 minutes in the homestretch as the last two episodes become a breathless pursuit through various parts of Brooklyn.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
16 Sep. 2025
-
Tragic and redemptive, poetic and provocative, this novel held me breathless at every turn.—
Julia Hass,
Literary Hub,
16 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Stuffy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stuffy. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share