uppish

[ uhp-ish ]

adjective

, Informal.

1. arrogant; condescending; uppity.

uppish

/ ˈʌpɪʃ /

adjective

1. informal.
   snobbish, arrogant, or presumptuous

Derived Forms

• ˈuppishly, adverb
• ˈuppishness, noun

Other Words From

• uppish·ly adverb
• uppish·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of uppish¹

First recorded in 1670–80; up + -ish ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of uppish¹

C18: from up + -ish

Example Sentences

We are quite uppish and sniff at the tinned stuff in the supply dump, we want fresh vegetables.

From Literature

‘Then there was a bit of trouble, but not enough. Old Will the Mayor set off for Bag End to protest, but he never got there. Ruffians laid hands on him and took and locked him up in a hole in Michel Delving, and there he is now. And after that, it would be soon after New Year, there wasn’t no more Mayor, and Pimple called himself Chief Shirriff, or just Chief, and did as he liked; and if anyone got “uppish” as they called it, they followed Will.

From Literature

‘So that’s your tone, is it? Change it, or we’ll change it for you. You little folk are getting too uppish. Don’t you trust too much in the Boss’s kind heart. Sharkey’s come now, and he’ll do what Sharkey says.’

From Literature

As a young man, after Harvard and emigration to Paris to study with Nadia Boulanger, he might, he admits, have appeared “a shade uppish.”

From New York Times

Buttler plays a loose, uppish drive that is taken nicely by Starc, swooping forward at mid-off.

From The Guardian