uppity
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uppity
- /ˈʌpəti/
Where it comes from
From earlier uppedy, equivalent to up + -ed + -y; compare blackity, biggity, and hippity (and possibly also persnickety, pernickety). First attested around 1880 in Uncle Remus by Joel Chandler Harris to describe Jack Sparrer (Jack Sparrow), who tattled on Br'er Rabbit (see quotations below). Compare uppish.
adjective uppitier · uppitiest · uppedy · uppety
-
Presumptuous, above oneself, self-important; arrogant, snobbish, haughty.
"Hit wuz wunner dese yer uppity little Jack Sparrers, I speck," said the old man; "dey wuz allers bodder'n' longer udder fokes's bizness
Similar: airy, arrogant, chesty, authoritarian, biggity, big-headed, blustery, turgescent, boastful, lordly, bombastic, buggish
- Exceeding one's station or position, assuming prerogatives to which one is not entitled. And the Yankees are very upset because so many uppity darkies have been killed recently.
Translations
Every language
adj presumptuous, above oneself
| Español | subidito |
|---|---|
| Português | metido |
| Français | arrogant, impertinent |
| Deutsch | dreist, hochnäsig, arrogant |
| Русский | самонаде́янный samonadéjannyj, высокоме́рный vysokomérnyj |
Talk about this word "uppity." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/uppity. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. uppity. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/uppity "uppity." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/uppity.Cite this
@misc{uppity_2026,
title = {uppity},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/uppity},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
