Snappish

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈsnæpɪʃ/
• Rhymes: -æpɪʃ
• Hyphenation: snap + pish

Origin

snap + -ish.

Full definition of snappish

Adjective

1. Likely to snap or bite.A snappish cur
• 1877, Anna Sewell, Black Beauty Chapter 22http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Black_Beauty/22"She came to us snappish and suspicious, but when she found what sort of place ours was, it all went off by degrees
2. Exhibiting irritation or impatience; curt; irascible.
• 1990, Nora Roberts, Taming Natasha, Silhouette Books (2011), ISBN 9781459213173, unnumbered page:She heard her own voice, snappish and rude, and pressed a hand to her head.
• 2011, Lynne McTaggart, The Bond, Simon & Schuster (2011), ISBN 9781439157947, page 91:Even though the woman didn't work closely with Barsade, so palpable was her complaining and snappish temperament that it had infected everyone who worked around her.
• 2011, Mary Doria Russell, Doc, Random House (2011), ISBN 9781400068043, page 173:There was something underneath her snappish belligerence that made him feel protective and tolerant.

Derived terms

• snappishly
• snappishness