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uppity
[ uhp-i-tee ]
adjective
- affecting an attitude of inflated self-esteem; haughty; snobbish.
- rebelliously self-assertive; not inclined to be tractable or deferential.
uppity
/ ˈʌɪɪ /
adjective
- not yielding easily to persuasion or control
- another word for uppish
Other Word Forms
- ܱp·ٲ·Ա noun
Word History and Origins
Origin of uppity1
Word History and Origins
Origin of uppity1
Example Sentences
The household was vegetarian before this was trendy or socially acceptable, and yet not in an uppity way.
From myriad vectors, media outlets put women in their place for being uppity, incompetent, or vulgar.
For much of that time—in letters, newspapers, books, and speeches—many white people commonly described enslaved African Americans as shiftless or lazy, disrespectful or “uppity,” and ignorant.
An uppity woman refusing to bend the knee when he tells her to is something he simply cannot abide.
It's a subculture of people who valorize bullying and hate women, especially women who think are uppity.
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About This Word
More context on uppity
Uppity means “haughty” and “snobbish”—an adjective for someone who puts on airs, someone who is self-important. But, this descriptor has a very racist past, used particularly to disparage Black people as “not remembering their place as inferior.”
Given this explicitly racist past, it is a good idea to cut down on using uppity. Read our next section for some wise alternatives.
If knowing the history of uppity has got you reflecting on your word choices, this slideshow, “These Common Words Have Offensive Histories,” discusses many other words whose place in your vocab you may want to reconsider.
Keep in mind …
There are plenty of alternatives to the problematic uppity. Besides haughty, snobbish, self-important, and putting on airs as noted above, such words as arrogant, snooty, pompous, smug, vain, and high and mighty can convey being overproud like uppity.
You can find even more synonyms at Thesaurus.com. We suggest you start with the adjective .
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