Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun The state or property of being stuffy, close, or musty: as, the stuffiness of a room.
  • noun The condition of being stuffed, or stuffed up, as by a cold.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun The quality of being stuffy.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun uncountable The state or quality of being angry and obstinate.
  • noun uncountable The state or quality of being poorly-ventilated and close.
  • noun countable, rare The result or product of being stuffy.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun dull and pompous gravity
  • noun state of obstruction or stoppage or air in the nose or throat
  • noun the quality of being close and poorly ventilated

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From stuffy +‎ -ness

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Examples

  • Wooden Shoon, 'as an appropriate introduction to a tragedy the scene of which was laid in Nineveh; the house seemed fairly full, and the air was heavy with that peculiar smell, a sort of doubtfully aromatic stuffiness, which is so grateful to the nostrils of playgoers.

    Austin and His Friends Frederic H. Balfour

  • It will be found that for the greater part of the year the chimney ventilator and the supply to the fire will materially prevent "stuffiness," and keep those disagreeable draughts under control, even although the room be lighted with a 3 light chandelier burning a large quantity of gas.

    Scientific American Supplement, No. 514, November 7, 1885 Various

  • The other side, the new, desperate side that Mrs. Ellsworth's "stuffiness" had developed, was not looking for any means of escape; and this side had seized the upper hand since the alarm of the burglars in the Strand.

    The Second Latchkey 1889

  • Yet, there is no arrogance, or "stuffiness" that is typically associated with many of our competitors.

    ReadABlog.com New Blogs and RSS Feeds 2010

  • "saddle-bag" upholstery, the common Turkish carpet, and the mantel mirror with tasteless, tasselled draperies, "Nelson Smith" seemed to comprehend the deadly "stuffiness" of Annesley Grayle's existence.

    The Second Latchkey 1889

  • In school, however, he was stiff and formal with his classmates, projecting an aristocratic stuffiness.

    In the Valley of the Shadow James L. Kugel 2011

  • At Isaac Mizrahi, also on Thursday, the designer said he was "going fancy" but casual, meaning upscale looks without stuffiness.

    A Burst of Lush, Opulent Glamour Ray A. Smith 2011

  • Produced by Graham King and Martin Scorsese (Oscar winners for “The Departed”), “Victoria” goes out of its way to side step the usual stuffiness of period films, offering viewers an old story with a contemporary flair.

    EXCLUSIVE: ‘The Young Victoria’ Crowns Golden Globe Nominee Emily Blunt » MTV Movies Blog 2009

  • I think you are exactly right when you say that Italy provided notable contrast to the stuffiness of the English and their class-bound mentality.

    On E M Forster « Tales from the Reading Room 2009

  • In school, however, he was stiff and formal with his classmates, projecting an aristocratic stuffiness.

    In the Valley of the Shadow James L. Kugel 2011

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