Flannery O'ConnorMichael LindMarion E. GoldPaula FoxJoseph Heller
Usage of Uppity
The adjective uppity is an informal, somewhat old-fashioned word. When used to mean "arrogant" or "presumptuous," it is no more offensive than either of these synonyms. In its meaning of "aspiring to a rank or position higher than one deserves or is entitled to" it is decidedly disparaging, the implication of the word being that the one described does not deserve or is not entitled to rise in standing. Beyond this denotation, however, uppity has a long history of being applied to members of racial minorities and especially to Black people. Its association with such uses, and the bigotry they represent, means that when it is used to describe a member of a racial minority it is likely to be considered especially offensive.
Synonyms
- arrogant
- assumptive
- bumptious
- cavalier
- chesty
- haughty
- high-and-mighty
- high-handed
- high-hat
- highfalutin
- hifalutin
- huffish
- huffy
- imperious
- important
- lofty
- lordly
- masterful
- overweening
- peremptory
- pompous
- presuming
- presumptuous
- pretentious
- self-asserting
- self-assertive
- sniffy
- stiff-necked
- supercilious
- superior
- toplofty
- toploftical
- uppish
Examples of uppity in a Sentence
Dallas News, 2 Apr. 2022
There were some in the UK, and even on this side of the pond, who wanted the queen to assert her authority and slap down her presumptuous grandson and his uppity wife.
—Kevin Cullen, BostonGlobe.com, 13 Jan. 2020
So was the mayor of Tomsk, his fate a warning to uppity regional politicians.
—The Economist, 21 Dec. 2019
King Vajiralongkorn of Thailand stripped his official mistress of all her titles and honours for being too uppity.
—The Economist, 24 Oct. 2019
The John Wayne machismo attitude of Cliff (Brad Pitt), an aging stuntman who defeats the arrogant, uppity Chinese guy harks back to the very stereotypes Bruce was trying to dismantle.
—Sydney Bucksbaum, EW.com, 17 Aug. 2019
But for a kid in Kentucky, Stonewall—even as recounted by White and others who were there—represented, at best, a kind of aspirational gay life, a bevy of uppity queers fighting for their decidedly unrespectable libidinal community.
—Michelle Tea, Harper's magazine, 22 June 2019
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'uppity.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Uppity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/uppity. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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