sneer

Noun · Verb
US[sneer]/snɪr/1 syllable
Synonyms: leer

Open English WordNet

Verb (2)sneered, sneering

  1. express through a scornful smile“she sneered her contempt”More general express, show
  2. smile contemptuously“she sneered at her little sister's efforts to play the song on the piano”More general smile

Noun (2)

  1. a facial expression of contempt or scorn; the upper lip curlsSynonyms: leerType of contempt, scorn
  2. a contemptuous or scornful remarkType of contempt, scorn

Related words leer noun, scorner noun, leery adjective, leer verb

Word of the day · Nov 13About this word
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Webster's Dictionary (1913)

Sneer intransitive verb [past tense & past participle Sneered; present participle & verbal noun Sneering.]

Origin: OE. sneren, Dan. sn…rre to snarl or grin (like a dog); cf. Prov. E. sneer to grin, sner to snort, snert to sneer at. See Snore, intransitive verb

1. To show contempt by turning up the nose, or by a particular facial expression.

2. To inssinuate contempt by a covert expression; to speak derisively.

I could be content to be a little sneared at.— Alexander Pope

3. To show mirth awkwardly. rare The Tatler

Synonyms: To scoff; gibe; jeer. — Sneer, Scoff, Jeer. The verb to sneer implies to cast contempt indirectly or by covert expressions. To jeer is stronger, and denotes the use of several sarcastic reflections. To scoff is stronger still, implying the use of insolent mockery and derision.

And sneers as learnedly as they, Like females o'er their morning tea.— Jonathan Swift
Midas, exposed to all their jeers, Had lost his art, and kept his ears.— Jonathan Swift
The fop, with learning at defiance, Scoffs at the pedant and science.— John Gay
Sneer transitive verb

1. To utter with a grimace or contemptuous expression; to utter with a sneer; to say sneeringly; as, to sneer fulsome lies at a person. William Congreve

“A ship of fools,” he sneered.— Alfred Tennyson

2. To treat with sneers; to affect or move by sneers.

Nor sneered nor bribed from virtue into shame.— Richard Savage
Sneer noun

1. The act of sneering.

2. A smile, grin, or contortion of the face, indicative of contempt; an indirect expression or insinuation of contempt. “Who can refute a sneer?” Raley.

Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54

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