snuffy

American  

[snuhf-ee] / ˈsnʌf i /

adjective

snuffier, snuffiest

1. resembling snuff.

2. soiled with snuff.

3. given to the use of snuff.

4. having an unpleasant appearance.

5. having hurt feelings.

6. easily displeased.

---

snuffy British  

/ ˈsnʌfɪ /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or resembling snuff

2. covered with or smelling of snuff

3. unpleasant; disagreeable

---

Other Word Forms

• snuffiness
  noun

Etymology

Origin of snuffy

First recorded in 1780–90; snuff ¹ + -y ¹

Example Sentences

“To be honest, it was the first time in this role that I’ve seen Snuffy in person and I teared up,” he says.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 17, 2023

Gone were the days when people had been unable to see Snuffy.

From Washington Post • Nov. 9, 2021

The character is also a cartoonist’s loving nod to hick comic-strip staples like Al Capp’s Li’l Abner, Snuffy Smith and Frederick Opper’s Maud the mule.

From New York Times • Jul. 21, 2017

Then there was the crucial distinction of timing: Snuffy had experienced his divorce in the present; he was upset, angry, crying.

From Time • Dec. 10, 2012

Life was life, and one day followed another, and Snuffy rook those days one at a time.

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols