stuffy

Everyday

1. A stuffy room has warm, stale air with not enough fresh air. tree →
2. A stuffy nose is blocked, so it is hard to breathe through it, often because of a cold. tree →
3. A stuffy person is old-fashioned, formal and boring, and does not like fun or change. tree →

In the lessons

In health and science lessons, a stuffy classroom makes people sleepy; opening a window lets in fresh air with oxygen and lets out stale air. When you have a cold you get a stuffy nose. In stories «a stuffy old museum» or «a stuffy aunt» means formal and dull. Phrases: «stuffy room», «stuffy nose», «feel stuffy».

Examples

• Open the window — it's stuffy in here. tree →
• I have a cold and a stuffy nose. tree →
• The bus was hot and stuffy. tree →
• The stuffy air made everyone yawn. tree →
• My grandad says the club is too stuffy. tree →
• Steam can help a stuffy nose. tree →
• The attic was dark and stuffy. tree →

Note

Comparative: stuffier, stuffiest. From «stuff» + -y. Not the same as «stuffed» (full): a stuffed toy is not stuffy.