stuffy C1 Topic:Describing Qualities US /ˈstʌfi/ See IPA manual Freq #12526 Meanings 1 adj Warm and lacking fresh air. The room was stuffy, so we opened a window to let in some air. 2 adj Boring, formal, and old-fashioned. The stuffy professor droned on while the class lost interest. 3 adj Partly blocked, so that breathing through the nose is hard. I can't smell very well today because I have a stuffy nose. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adj · warm and lacking fresh air. oppressiveclose 2 adj · boring, formal, and... stodgy 3 adj · partly blocked, so that... fusty Word family Forms stuffierstuffiest Derived forms stodgystuffilystuffinessunstuffy Common collocations stuffy room Adjective + noun Etymology AI details From stuff + -y. Topics Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives Register & Style External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # stuffy **Type:** Word **Level:** C1 **Part of speech:** adj **IPA (US):** /ˈstʌfi/ **Frequency rank:** 12526 ## Meanings 1. Warm and lacking fresh air. 2. Boring, formal, and old-fashioned. 3. Partly blocked, so that breathing through the nose is hard. ## Examples - The room was stuffy, so we opened a window to let in some air. - The stuffy professor droned on while the class lost interest. - I can't smell very well today because I have a stuffy nose. ## Derived Forms - stodgy - stuffily - stuffiness - unstuffy ## Etymology From stuff + -y. ## AI Etymology Stuffy is from stuff + -y. The analysis is mainly morphological: the modern adjectival form is built from the named base and affix. In present-day use, it can mean warm and lacking fresh air, or boring, formal, and old-fashioned. Derived formations include stodgy, stuffily, stuffiness, unstuffy. ## Topics - Describing Qualities - Word Formation & Derivatives - Register & Style markdown