Meanings
adjectiveknappish (comparative more knappish, superlative most knappish)
comparative more knappish · superlative most knappish
- obsoletePeevish; snappish.
[H]e reiected the Dukes requeſt with many ſpitefull and knappiſhe wordes, which ſo wounded the Dukes hart with hatred and miſtruſt, that he could neuer after endure to looke right on king Richard, but euer feared hys owne lyfe, […]
1569, Richard Grafton, “Richarde the Thirde”, in A Chronicle at Large and Meere History of the Affayres of Englande […], volume II, London: […] Henry Denham, […], for Richarde Tottle and Humffrey Toye, →OCLC, page 809
Synonyms & antonyms
Also see
Origin
From knap (“to strike”) + -ish.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
knappish. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/knappish
MLA
“knappish.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/knappish. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “knappish,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/knappish.
Source: knappish on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.