snarky

adjective \ ˈsnär-kē \

Definition of snarky

1 :crotchety, snappish

2 :sarcastic, impertinent, or irreverent in tone or manner

snarky lyrics

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snarkily

play \ˈsnär-kə-lē\ adverb

Examples of snarky in a Sentence

The writer at No. 10, Fred Mustard Stewart, died last February at 74. His obituary in The Guardian contained this snarky observation: "Year in, year out, the 600-page mark did not daunt him." —Dwight Garner, New York Times Book Review, 24 Feb. 2008
Edwards says his notorious $400 haircut and his 28,000-square-foot house are the obsessions of the media, not "normal voters." (He does have a snarkier press corps than RFK. Not only did reporters not criticize the size of Kennedy's Virginia mansion, they wrote fawning prose about the senator in the hopes of scoring an invitation.) —Jonathan Darman, Newsweek, 30 July 2007
If your coworker confronts you, admit you were wrong. But don't overexplain your snarky comment—she may get angrier. —Margaret Magnarelli, Glamour, April 2002
Even when he pays someone a compliment, it comes out snarky; recently Valentine said he thought Atlanta's Bobby Cox should be named National League Manager of the Year "because he's had to manage this year." It doesn't matter that until Monday, Valentine managed 1,703 games without making the playoffs. —S. L. Price, Sports Illustrated, 11 Oct. 1999
working all day with such snarky jerks is exhausting
with champagne as a lubricant, she unleashed an unending series of snarky comments for the duration of the wedding reception

Recent Examples of snarky from the Web

Or, check out all these people saying snarky things about the cosmic event on Twitter.

— sarah rense, Esquire, "Enjoy the Best, Snarkiest Solar Eclipse Tweets So Far," 21 Aug. 2017
DEADSPIN IS SNARKY, PROFANE AND written by people who never have to face the subjects of their snarky profanity.

— paul daugherty, Cincinnati.com, "Doc: Only MLS can slow FC Cincinnati's momentum now," 9 Aug. 2017
Speaking of Noel, before Liam's apology, this Twitter user credited the set being cut short to her friend's snarky sign: my friend took this sign to liam gallagher & the piss baby walked off the stage after three songs.

— katie atkinson, Billboard, "Liam Gallagher Apologizes for Only 20-Minute Lollapalooza Set, Blaming Vocal Issues: 'I'm Gutted'," 3 Aug. 2017
Snarky model Chrissy Teigen has joined the list of Twitter users barred from seeing President Donald Trump's tweets.

— nardine saad, latimes.com, "Nine years in the making: Chrissy Teigen blocked by Trump on Twitter," 25 July 2017
Other shades in the palette have similarly snarky names.

— sarah kinonen, Allure, "The M.A.C. Basic Bitch Palette Is Hilariously Perfect (UPDATED)," 24 July 2017
Decades in a niche In gamer communities on forums and Reddit, Mac gaming is often the subject of jokes and snarky comments.

— samuel axon, Ars Technica, "The state of Mac gaming," 14 July 2017
Over the past year, Meyers has made a name for himself as perhaps the most like-minded heir to Jon Stewart’s legacy as a savvy, snarky political analyst who also tackled the media.

— vanityfair.com, "What Jimmy Fallon's and Seth Meyers's Emmy Snubs Mean for Late Night," 14 July 2017
Over the past year, Meyers has made a name for himself as perhaps the most like-minded heir to Jon Stewart’s legacy as a savvy, snarky political analyst who also tackled the media.

— laura bradley, HWD, "What Jimmy Fallon's and Seth Meyers's Emmy Snubs Mean for Late Night," 14 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'snarky.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

snarky vs. sarcastic

Some have questioned whether snarky is a real word. There can be no doubt that it is; the adjective has been recorded in English since 1906. Its original meaning, “crotchety, snappish,” has largely been overtaken, however, by the far more frequently-encountered sense “sarcastic, impertinent or irreverent.” The precise difference between utterances described as sarcastic and snarky will vary somewhat based on the individual using each word. Some feel that sarcastic usually implies irony, or stating the opposite of what is really intended (for example, “thank you so much for your promptness” spoken to someone who arrives late), whereas snarky implies simple impertinence or irreverence (as when Downton Abbey's Dowager Countess asks Isobel Crawley, “does it ever get cold on the moral high ground?”)