- flavoured with or tasting of pepper
- quick-tempered; irritable
- full of bite and sharpness: a peppery speech
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
pep•per•y /ˈpɛpəri/USA pronunciation
adj.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- of, full of, or tasting like pepper.
- sharp or stinging:a peppery speech.
- easily angered.
pep•per•y
(pep′ə rē),USA pronunciation adj.
pep′per•i•ly, adv.
pep′per•i•ness, n.
- full of or tasting like pepper;
hot;
pungent. - of, pertaining to, or resembling pepper.
- sharp or stinging:a peppery speech.
- easily angered;
bad-tempered;
irritable;
irascible:the peppery leader of a political faction.
- pepper + -y1 1690–1700
pep′per•i•ness, n.
- 1. spicy. 3. biting. 4. hot-tempered, hot-headed, testy, choleric.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
peppery /ˈpɛpərɪ/ adj
'peppery' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):