Definition of "uppity" []

• Informal Taking liberties or assuming airs beyond one's station; presumptuous: "was getting a little uppity and needed to be slapped down” ( New York Times). (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "They start cursing what they call "uppity Catalans," accusing Barcelona - the capital of Catalonia - of turning the world against bullfighting."
• "So when Olbermann asks Obama to respond to an ugly use of the word uppity, Obama just laughs when we expected anger."
• "What are people actually saying when you hear the word uppity in association with Senator Barack Obama?"