nippy

[ nip-ee ]

adjective

, nip·pi·er, nip·pi·est.

1. chilly or cold:

   morning air that feels a bit nippy.

2. sharp or biting; tangy:

   This cheese has a good, nippy taste.

3. Chiefly British Informal. nimble; agile.

nippy

/ ˈnɪpɪ /

adjective

1. (of weather) chilly, keen, or frosty
2. informal.
   1. quick; nimble; active
   2. (of a motor vehicle) small and relatively powerful
3. (of the taste of food) biting, sharp, or pungent
4. (of a dog) inclined to bite

Derived Forms

• ˈnippiness, noun
• ˈnippily, adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of nippy¹

First recorded in 1565–75; nip ¹ + -y ¹

Example Sentences

Diana Houston said she got "nippy fingers" as she took this picture of moonrise at Loch an Eilein near Aviemore on Boxing Day.

From BBC

"It was everything that I felt like I was built for, although I was 5ft 3in. I was fast, nippy and not frightened to get stuck in," she says.

From BBC

Schiff’s rally, held on a nippy, mostly overcast morning, marked the start of a two-week statewide tour, with stops to include San Diego, Sacramento, Fresno and San Francisco.

From Washington Times

On a nippy morning, Arielle Angel and her fellow editors at Jewish Currents, a small but influential journal of ideas, were walking toward Union Temple, a synagogue in the Prospect Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, where they were putting finishing touches on their winter issue.

From New York Times

Biden promised to keep things short, acknowledging the nippy day by saying, “Nobody likes it when their turkey gets cold.”

From Washington Post