nippy

adjective

ˈni-pē How to pronounce nippy (audio)
Definition of nippynext
1
as in chilly
having a low or subnormal temperature bring a jacket, as it's a little nippy outside

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in spicy
having a powerfully stimulating odor or flavor blue cheese is a little too nippy for my taste

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in brisk
moving, proceeding, or acting with great speed racing around the neighborhood on a nippy scooter

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in chilling
uncomfortably cool a nippy wind that chilled parade watchers to the bone

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of nippy According to computer models, the pull of the Red Planet may have altered the Earth's orbit until things got nippy. — New Atlas, 13 Jan. 2026 Crackling leaves and nippy mornings, early sunsets and football games. — Cathy Thomas, Oc Register, 20 Oct. 2025 Oscar Ortiz was particularly nippy down the left, Bertoni was highly energetic down the right, and Leopoldo Luque was a good foil for Kempes, scoring a spectacular long-range strike against France. — Michael Cox, New York Times, 5 Oct. 2025 With it, there’s no need to haul up a turtleneck or coat collar in the nippy wind or rain. — Alexandra Pereira, Travel + Leisure, 9 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for nippy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nippy
  1. chilly
  2. spicy
  3. brisk
  4. chilling
  5. cold
  6. pungent
  7. rapid
  8. chill
Adjective
  • The 100% cotton waffle blanket is the perfect end-of-the-bed layer when the nights get chillier.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Chihuahua, Mexico Spring 1983 Filming out in the Chihuahuan Desert is actually chilly in the morning, but when the sun comes up, the heat is unreal.
    — Kyle Maclachlan, HollywoodReporter, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of chilly
Adjective
  • Take oyakodon, a saucy chicken and egg rice bowl, or mapo tofu, where spicy tofu sings with ground meat.
    — Emily Laurence Sardinha, Bon Appetit Magazine, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Waiters in Tom Ford tuxedos, meanwhile, passed around crab cakes and spicy rigatoni—the signature dish of Carbone’s eponymous restaurant.
    — Elise Taylor, Vanity Fair, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of spicy
Adjective
  • But adding just five more minutes of moderate-intensity exercise, such as brisk walking, every day could prevent up to 10% of premature deaths, according to a large observational study.
    — Ann Pietrangelo, Verywell Health, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Fall’s brisk weather brings with it the promise of cozy knitwear, cashmere socks, and roaring fires—perhaps the only downside is that the grey skies exacerbate the our considerable vitamin D deficiency.
    — Violet Hayward, Vogue, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of brisk
Adjective
  • The messages were shared with Semafor on the condition that they not be quoted directly out of concern that employees would feel uncomfortable seeing their messages reproduced verbatim, potentially chilling future Slacktivism.
    — Garrison Lovely, semafor.com, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Even before its launch, the series stirred spirited discussion from enthusiasts of the book overs Kazan’s decision to center the story’s chilling antagonist Cathy Ames, played by Florence Pugh.
    — Yvonne Villarreal, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of chilling
Adjective
  • The spa is set to open in mid-December and promises to have a range of treatments including massages, facials, and hot/cold therapy.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Concrete is rigid, cold, and dead; land is living and breathing.
    — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of cold
Adjective
  • Many glass cleaners use ammonia to cut through grease and grime, but instead of leaving your appliances polished and shiny, the pungent solution can actually leave a streaky, cloudy sheen on stainless steel.
    — Kate Van Pelt, The Spruce, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Rordam recommends avoiding fish and other pungent foods leading up to the open house and addressing any lingering odors beforehand.
    — Quincy Bulin, Southern Living, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of pungent
Adjective
  • Noonan's column also manifests the larger substantive concern, already being expressed by some of those involved in the rapid development of AI, that the new technology could escape human control and even threaten the existence of humankind.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Josemar Lauriano Pereira, a 46-year-old lawyer, said that the rapid availability of results helped combat fraud and uncertainty.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of rapid
Adjective
  • The group’s trademark sense of space, room for the sax, Sandman’s voice, and ear candy like acoustic guitar, echoey cymbals, and distant piano, and their uniquely chill sense of melody take cente rstage on the song.
    — Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 24 Sep. 2026
  • The Asics Gel-SlowCush prioritizes comfort while being recommended for recovery runs, low-intensity training or merely chill jaunts.
    — Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of chill

Browse Nearby Words

nipping
nippy
nips
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Nippy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nippy. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All