English

Adjective

snappish ‎(comparative more snappish, superlative most snappish)

1. Likely to snap or bite.

   A snappish cur

   • 1877, Anna Sewell, Black Beauty Chapter 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

Translations