uppity
up·pi·ty/ˈʌpəti/adjective
uppity is spelled U-P-P-I-T-Y: 6 letters and 3 syllables (up·pi·ty). It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 54,192nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, uppity means “Presumptuous, above oneself, self-important; arrogant, snobbish, haughty” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in uppity?
| Letters | 6: U-P-P-I-T-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: up·pi·ty |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 54,192nd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is uppity?
Uppity appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 54,192nd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce uppity?
- /ˈʌpəti/
Uppity has 3 syllables, split up·pi·ty in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-uppity.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of uppity
- uppitier comparative
- uppitiest superlative
- uppedy
- uppety
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does uppity mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Presumptuous, above oneself, self-important; arrogant, snobbish, haughty.
- 2
Exceeding one's station or position, assuming prerogatives to which one is not entitled.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Uppity in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense presumptuous, above oneself:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | arrogant, impertinent |
| German | dreist, hochnäsig, arrogant |
| Portuguese | metido |
| Spanish | subidito |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does uppity come 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.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).