huffy
/ˈhʌfi
/adjective (huffier, huffiest)
Annoyed or irritated and quick to take offence at petty things: ask writers for more than a second draft and they get huffy the old ladies made a huffy pretence of being uninterested...
- Another huffy tantrum ensued, which some quick, timely clay-shaping and fast talking intercepted.
- As a result, they can find emotional situations more confusing, leading to the petulant, huffy behaviour adolescents are notorious for.
- As someone who's often a tech-support resource for others, I try to be patient, because the people I know are smart, and it's better to try to explain what the problem is than to get all huffy.
Synonyms
irritable, irritated, annoyed, cross, grumpy, huffish, bad-tempered, crotchety, crabby, crabbed, cantankerous, curmudgeonly, moody, petulant, miserable, morose, sullen, surly, churlish;
touchy, testy, tetchy, crusty, snappish, waspish, prickly
informal snappy, cranky
British informal narky, narked, miffed, ratty, eggy, shirty, like a bear with a sore head, whingy
North American informal soreheaded, peckish
Australian/New Zealand snaky
vulgar slang pissed off
dated miffy
Derivatives
huffily
/ adverb ...- ‘I don't pretend to understand all of the complex parts of Christian theology,’ he retaliated rather huffily, ‘but I accept it.’
- ‘Besides,’ he adds huffily, ‘I'm actually almost 50, and regard the description as most insulting.’
- I let her out and she stalked off huffily into the garden just in time to say goodbye to Sal and Dan, who gave me a pretty carved elephant from their trip to India.
huffiness
/ noun ...- However, beyond his huffiness over having his ignorance pointed out, Tristan makes a good point as well: many if not all claims to the foreshore and seabed before our current state were in regards to fishing and collecting shellfish.
- I need not have concerned myself, they both returned home in good humour, there was little evidence of the usual huffiness and stand-offishness we are normally greeted with.
- ‘It's not just playing,’ says the kid with sudden huffiness.