to say "uppity" doesn't mean upset or wound up

[CoalTit]

I've never heard anyone say "uppity" in real life; only ficticious racists from the southern USA in books and films, and it's always followed by that racist word I won't write for fear of getting banned. From that I inferred that it means "getting above yourself", and has a pretty nasty meaning.
In the last year or so I've seen it used a lot on mumsnet, where people seem to use it to mean upset or agitated. I've just looked it up in a dictionary and yes, it means putting on airs, being pretentious or acting superior.
What do you understand by "uppity"?

Snobby

I use the word the same way you do, basically being a bit stuck up.

Snobby. But I'm Canadian so would use it the way Americans do.

Yep, superior, putting on airs. I'm not sure I've seen it used any other way tbh, on MN or elsewhere.

Uppity - acting above your station - being snobby about something that you deem "beneath you"

I've never seen it mean upset or agitated on MN.

MN can be a very interesting place at times but word usage and grammar wise it's usually pretty spot on. excluding myself of course

Not showing deference to someone who thinks they have a right to expect it.

Definitely snobby. We also say 'acting up yourself' where I come from, not sure if that's regional or not.

Technically it just means 'ideas above their station,' but it has a history of racist usage ie it was historically used far more frequently against people who weren't white and didn't 'know their place.'

Similarly to the word 'bitch' having a technically non sexist definition but becoming a sexist word because of its frequency of being used against women.

I wouldn't use it.

Although its formal meaning is certainly ‘airs above one’s station’, I heard it used in the context of over-excitable before as well.

It means snobby/stuck-up your own arse. For what it's worth I don't think I've heard it used in a racist context or seen it used incorrectly on here 🤷‍♀️

I've never considered it a particularly nasty word.

Literally never seen anyone on MN use it as upset or agitated either, are you sure about that? Also, agree with whoever said they never considered it a nasty word

Definitely, because it has an additional connotation of rising or bubbling up.

I've never known it to be racist, my Mum used it a lot "don't get uppity with me young lady"

It means self-important/arrogant. I've never seen it attributed another meaning. Always reminds me of the Mr Men book Mr Uppity.

I've never known it to be racist, my Mum used it a lot "don't get uppity with me young lady"

That's exactly how I know it used .

I only discovered it had racist meanings recently when someone (Eamon Holmes possibly?) got criticised for using it to describe Meghan Markle.

I always just thought it meant a bit above yourself, the kind of person who would say things like "don't you know who I am" is someone I might have called uppity.

Chookie the OP is referring a phrase 'uppity ' with an offensive word after uppity, not the word in its own right.

It definitely has racial connotations.

Mr Men books

I did 'Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry' for GCSE English (I imagine lots of people my age did) so I understood the racist undertones from that. Even without that history it's not a nice word, very much about getting above yourself and I wouldn't use it to describe anyone, particularly not a POC.

Yeah, I always found it a bit that the brown Mr Man was called Mr Uppity.

But then I fucking hate the Mr Men (and Little Miss ) books to be fair anyway

Uppity to me, means someone getting a bit above themselves, thinking they're better than they are.

I've heard it used in terms of 'that uppity bloody female'. . .

I think it's only racist when used against black people because it was so often used in the past in that way. Not sure how much it was used like that in the UK though, I only know that context from reading Gone with the Wind or whatever.

But I think it's a useful word. I mean if you have someone saying 'I don't want to go to that neighbourhood because it's full of chavs' or something, then yeah, they're acting uppity. No different to saying snobby really, but not a good idea to use when talking to black people.