snark

1 of 2

noun

informal
: an attitude or expression of mocking irreverence and sarcasm
… no human endeavor is beyond snark these days, so lots of people enjoy hijacking a corporation's marketing hashtag to mock the company …Paul McFedries

snark

2 of 2

verb

snarked; snarking; snarks

transitive + intransitive

: to make an irreverent or sarcastic comment : to say something snarky
Are they even willing to discuss policy rather than snark about candidates' supposed personality flaws?Paul Krugman
[Chrissy] Teigen said she was in the process of privately reaching out to people she had insulted in the past. She said she first started using social media to "snark at some celebrities."Tasneem Nashrulla
Tina Fey has embodied that all-too-rare brainy/funny/sexy trifecta since she first snarked her way through Saturday Night Live's "Weekend Update."Entertainment Weekly
Upon gazing at the evening meal, Russell snarked: "Is this a nursery school picnic?"Glenn Singer

Examples of snark in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The internet’s wild theories about her apparent disappearance has pushed Kensington Palace to the point of responding with concise clarification and a bit of snark. Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 29 Feb. 2024 Warm and cuddly, nice with a little bit of snark or all-out Ricky Gervais? Alex Ritman, Variety, 15 Feb. 2024 Chandler Bing was the king of snark, and Friends fans loved him for it. EW.com, 29 Oct. 2023 Meanwhile, Hill’s and Windsor’s names were attached to the controversy on Reddit snark pages. Taylor Lorenz, Washington Post, 8 Feb. 2024 Early demonstrations showed a chatbot defined less by a connection to cosmic truths than by a willingness to engage in the snark and vulgarity that rival products try to avoid. David Meyer, Fortune, 20 Nov. 2023 As Percy, Scobell has a snark and cynicism that perfectly encapsulates the experiences of a defiant boy. Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 14 Dec. 2023 After Central’s triumph in the world rankings this year, there was snark about the $384 cost of its tasting menu in a country where the Food and Agriculture Organization says half the population now experiences food insecurity. Simeon Tegel, Washington Post, 8 Jan. 2024 The chiding between the two plays like a half-hearted version of Taika Waititi snark. Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 21 Dec. 2023
Verb
Or snark on Kendall Jenner’s odd gas station photo shoot? Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 10 Nov. 2023 Eventually, your mind tunes out the plot in order to snark about the craft. Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 14 July 2023 Basu’s evocative and thrilling novel explores with warmth and snark a future Delhi. Charlie Jane Anders, Washington Post, 17 Nov. 2022 And Fielding and Ayoade are there to snark and provide surrealist answers. Bethy Squires, Vulture, 1 Jan. 2022 Tracy, 31, tells the rest of the women that her ideas about only dating a certain type of man have changed as she's gotten older, which Demi (who's eight years younger) interprets as another opportunity to snark about Tracy being one of the of the few remaining contestants who's older than Colton. Hannah Yasharoff, USA TODAY, 10 Aug. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'snark.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

back-formation from snarky

Verb

back-formation from snarky

First Known Use

Noun

1999, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1987, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of snark was in 1987

Dictionary Entries Near snark

Cite this Entry

“Snark.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/snark. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

snark

noun
: an attitude or expression of sarcasm or mockery
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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