adj
Meaning 1
Suggestive of the behaviour of a wasp.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
waspish
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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UK: /ˈwɒs.pɪʃ/
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US: /ˈwɑ.spɪʃ/
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US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
adj
Meaning 2
Spiteful or irascible.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: figuratively
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adjective satellite
Meaning 3
very irritable
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- bristly exchanges between the White House and the press
- he became prickly and spiteful
- witty and waspish about his colleagues
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: bristly, prickly, splenetic
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *webh- Proto-Indo-European *wóbhseh2 Proto-Germanic *wapsō Proto-West Germanic *wapsu Old English wæps Middle English wasp English wasp Proto-Indo-European *-iskos Proto-Germanic *-iskaz Proto-West Germanic *-isk Old English -isċ Middle English -ish English -ish English waspish From wasp + -ish.
From WASP + -ish.
Across languages
Translations
9 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Finnish: ampiaismainen — suggestive of the behaviour of a wasp
- Bulgarian: ядосан (jadosan) — spiteful or irascible
- Bulgarian: раздразнен (razdraznen) — spiteful or irascible
- Danish: giftig — spiteful or irascible
- Danish: hvas — spiteful or irascible
- Danish: skarp — spiteful or irascible
- Finnish: äkäinen — spiteful or irascible
- French: grincheux — spiteful or irascible
- Irish: colgach — spiteful or irascible