sneer

¹sneer

verb \ˈsnir\

Definition of SNEER

intransitive verb

1

: to smile or laugh with facial contortions that express scorn or contempt

2

: to speak or write in a scornfully jeering manner

transitive verb

: to utter with a sneer

— sneer·er noun

Examples of SNEER

1. “You obviously don't know what you're talking about,” she sneered.
2. <in high school the in crowd would invariably sneer every time they passed the hapless nerds>

Origin of SNEER

probably akin to Middle High German snerren to chatter, gossip — more at snore

First Known Use: 1680

Related to SNEER

Synonyms

laugh, smile, snicker, snigger

Related Words

sniff, snort; catcall, deride, gibe (or jibe), hoot, insult, jeer, mock, ridicule; decry, despise, disdain; scoff (at), scorn; bad-mouth, belittle, disparage, pooh-pooh (also pooh), put down; heckle, jive, razz, rib, ride, taunt, tease, torment

See Synonym Discussion at scoff

Rhymes with SNEER

beer, bier, blear, cere, cheer, clear, dear, deer, Deere, drear, ear, fear, fere, fleer, gear, hear, here, jeer, leer, mere, mir, near, peer, pier, Pierre, queer, rear, schmear, sear, seer, sere, shear, sheer, skirr, smear, spear, speer, sphere, steer, tear, tier, Trier, Tyr, veer, weir, year

²sneer

noun

Definition of SNEER

: the act of sneering; also : a sneering expression or remark

Examples of SNEER

1. She looked at me with a sneer of disgust.
2. “They're paranoid,” he said with a sneer.
3. The novel elicited sneers from the critics.

First Known Use of SNEER

1707