adj. Informal 1. Haughty or presumptuous, especially for one's rank or social standing: "At Vassar the girls she knew were better dressed than she was and had uppity finishing school manners" (John Dos Passos). 2. Not complacent or deferential; strongly self-assertive: "Even those who'd mastered the broom, Andrew Carnegie said ... needed to get a little uppity at some point" (Megan Hustad). [From UP.] uppi·ti·ness, uppi·ty·ness n. |
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