snappish

snap·pish

(snăp′ĭsh)

adj.

1. Likely to snap or bite, as a dog.

2. Irritable and curt: a snappish tone of voice; a snappish debating partner.

snap′pish·ly adv.

snap′pish·ness n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

snappish

(ˈsnæpɪʃ)

adj

1. showing sharpness or irritability

2. (of a dog) inclined to snap at people

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

snap•pish

(ˈsnæp ɪʃ)

adj.

1. apt to snap or bite, as a dog.

2. disposed to speak or reply in an impatient or irritable manner.

3. curt: a snappish reply.

[1535–45]

snap′pish•ly, adv.

snap′pish•ness, n.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Adj.

snappish - apt to speak irritably; "a snappish tone of voice"

snappy

ill-natured - having an irritable and unpleasant disposition

snappish

adjective

Having or showing a bad temper:

bad-tempered, cantankerous, crabbed, cranky, cross, disagreeable, fretful, grouchy, grumpy, ill-tempered, irascible, irritable, nasty, peevish, petulant, querulous, snappy, surly, testy, ugly, waspish.

Informal: crabby, mean.

Idiom: out of sorts.

Translations

stizzoso

snappish

[ˈsnæpɪʃ] ADJ (= irritable) [person] → irritable, gruñón; [reply, tone] → brusco, seco; [dog] → con mal genio

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

snappish

adj (lit, fig) → bissig

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

snappish

[ˈsnæpɪʃ] adj → irritabile, bisbetico/a

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

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References in classic literature ?

The end of life was reserved for the Dog, wherefore the old man is often snappish, irritable, hard to please, and selfish, tolerant only of his own household, but averse to strangers and to all who do not administer to his comfort or to his necessities.

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She came to us snappish and suspicious, but when she found what sort of place ours was, it all went off by degrees; for three years I have never seen the smallest sign of temper, and if she is well treated there is not a better, more willing animal than she is.

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She wrote at great length the same day; cried profusely over her own epistolary composition; and was remarkably ill-tempered and snappish toward me, when we met in the evening.

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But it is years ago, and I dare say they have both grown stout and snappish since that time.

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"Do you remember how rude you were to me, on the day when you were sketching in the summer-house?" Francine asked with snappish playfulness.

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Miss Miggs's sense of hearing, however, having as sharp an edge as her temper, and being of the same snappish and suspicious kind, very soon informed her that the footsteps passed her door, and appeared to have some object quite separate and disconnected from herself.

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Bidding the other passengers good-night, in a rather snappish manner, the stranger alighted.

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What I said was petulant and snappish enough, and Hunsden only replied by looking in my face and laughing.

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Featherstone was in one of his most snappish humors this morning, and though Fred had now the prospect of receiving the much-needed present of money, he would have preferred being free to turn round on the old tyrant and tell him that Mary Garth was too good to be at his beck.

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"We're tolerable, sir, I thank you," replied Grace, lifting the boiling mess carefully on to the hob: "rather snappish, but not

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I said his heaven would be only half alive; and he said mine would be drunk: I said I should fall asleep in his; and he said he could not breathe in mine, and began to grow very snappish. At last, we agreed to try both, as soon as the right weather came; and then we kissed each other and were friends.

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Again, I would try to get him to talk about his children, but always he cut me short in his old snappish way, and passed to another subject.