sneer
Americanverb (used without object)
-
to smile, laugh, or contort the face in a manner that shows scorn or contempt.
They sneered at his pretensions.
-
to speak or write in a manner expressive of derision or scorn.
- Synonyms:
- gibe
verb (used with object)
noun
-
a facial expression of scorn or contempt, typically with the upper lip curled
-
a scornful or contemptuous remark or utterance
verb
-
(intr) to assume a facial expression of scorn or contempt
-
to say or utter (something) in a scornful or contemptuous manner
Related Words
See scoff 1.
Other Word Forms
- sneerer noun
- sneerful adjective
- sneering adjective
- sneeringly adverb
- sneerless adjective
- subsneer noun
- unsneering adjective
- unsneeringly adverb
Etymology
Origin of sneer
First recorded in 1545–55; originally, “to snort”; compare Frisian (northern dialect) sneere “scornful remark,” snarl 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“You aren’t funny, cadet,” he sneered, and I saw him stand up straighter in an attempt to offset the three additional inches of height I’d had on him since we were both eight.
From Literature
Though he still had not made the engagement public, Elisha “cared no longer … for the world’s opinion or its sneers …” and acted like it.
From Literature
Franks says she will never regret her time at Cambridge, despite the sneers and the cheeseboard faux pas.
From BBC
He turned into a sneering moral philosopher, all the while keeping his feet up.”
He cued off more sneers, with me, this time, as the butt of ridicule.
From Literature
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
