uppity

== English == === Alternative forms === uppedy, uppety === Etymology === 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. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈʌpəti/ Hyphenation: up‧pi‧ty === Adjective === uppity (comparative uppitier, superlative uppitiest) Presumptuous, above oneself, self-important; arrogant, snobbish, haughty. Synonyms: see Thesaurus:arrogant Exceeding one's station or position, assuming prerogatives to which one is not entitled. ==== Usage notes ==== This term has historically been used in America to describe black people who were considered to be acting above "their place", and is considered by some to have racist connotations when applied to people of color; sometimes arrogant and presumptuous, invoking the same idea, are used as codewords for it. ==== Translations ==== ==== See also ==== === References ===