stuffy

/'stʌfi/

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Explanation of the Word "Stuffy"

Part of Speech: Adjective

Usage Instructions:

You can use "stuffy" to describe: 1. A physical environment that feels closed off or lacking air. 2. A person or event that is too serious or lacks creativity.

Examples:

1. Physical Environment: "The room was stuffy because the windows were closed all day."
2. Boring Event: "The meeting was so stuffy that I could hardly stay awake."

Advanced Usage:

In more advanced contexts, "stuffy" can also imply that something is too formal or rigid, lacking in warmth or friendliness. For example, one might say, "The stuffy atmosphere at the gala made it hard to enjoy the evening."

Word Variants:

• Stuffy (adj.) - The main form.
• Stuffiness (noun) - The quality of being stuffy. For example, "The stuffiness of the room made it hard to concentrate."
• Stuffy (verb) – Not common, but could be used informally to mean to make something stuffy, as in "The closed windows stuffied the air."

Different Meanings:

1. Physical: Lacking fresh air; suffocating.
   • Example: "It was hot and stuffy in the attic."
2. Figurative: Dull, overly serious, or conventional.
   • Example: "The stuffy rules of the organization discouraged creativity."

Synonyms:

• Airless - Lacking fresh air.
• Stale - Old and not fresh.
• Boring - Not interesting or exciting.
• Conventional - Traditional and not innovative.

Idioms and Phrasal Verbs:

• "Stuffy nose" - A condition where a person's nose feels blocked, usually from a cold or allergies.

  • Example: "I can’t breathe well; I have a stuffy nose."

• "Stuffed up" - This phrase can describe someone who feels congested (like with a cold) or overwhelmed.

  • Example: "I feel stuffed up after spending too much time in that crowded room."

Summary:

"Stuffy" can describe both physical discomfort due to a lack of air and figurative discomfort from a lack of creativity or excitement.

Academic

Adjective

1. affected with a sensation of stoppage or obstruction
   • a stuffy feeling in my chest
2. excessively conventional and unimaginative and hence dull
   • why is the middle class so stodgy, so utterly without a sense of humor?
   • a stodgy dinner party
3. lacking fresh air
   • a dusty airless attic
   • the dreadfully close atmosphere
   • hot and stuffy and the air was blue with smoke

Synonyms

• stodgy
• airless
• close
• unaired