sneer

1 of 2

verb

sneered; sneering; sneers

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
sneerer noun

sneer

2 of 2

noun

: the act of sneering
also : a sneering expression or remark
Choose the Right Synonym for sneer

scoff, jeer, gibe, fleer, sneer, flout mean to show one's contempt in derision or mockery.

scoff stresses insolence, disrespect, or incredulity as motivating the derision.

scoffed at their concerns

jeer suggests a coarser more undiscriminating derision.

the crowd jeered at the prisoners

gibe implies taunting either good-naturedly or in sarcastic derision.

hooted and gibed at the umpire

fleer suggests grinning or grimacing derisively.

the saucy jackanapes fleered at my credulity

sneer stresses insulting by contemptuous facial expression, phrasing, or tone of voice.

sneered at anything romantic

flout stresses contempt shown by refusal to heed.

flouted the conventions of polite society

Examples of sneer in a Sentence

Verb “You obviously don't know what you're talking about,” she sneered. they brushed off his sneer and went about their business Noun She looked at me with a sneer of disgust. “They're paranoid,” he said with a sneer. The novel elicited sneers from the critics.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Like most of that album, Vultures feels sonically enveloping and masterful but lyrically sneering and obnoxious. Carl Lamarre, Billboard, 21 Feb. 2024 Like Sting before him, Butler makes the most of his role as a sneering psychopath whose ruthlessness prompts the Baron to unleash him upon the Fremen, hoping to ensure the uninterrupted flow of spice, the galaxy’s most precious resource. Brian Lowry, CNN, 21 Feb. 2024 Every good comedy needs a villain audiences love to hate, and the original 1984 Ghostbusters gave us William Atherton's sneering, nosy-parker EPA inspector, Walter Peck. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 29 Jan. 2024 Malcolm McDowell is a sneering charlatan, Scout Taylor-Compton is a one-note screaming victim, and Tyler Mane offers nothing new. Chris Snellgrove, EW.com, 11 Oct. 2023 When his son is killed by one of his own men (a sneering Tom Hardy), Glass goes on a life or death journey of revenge. Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 29 Aug. 2023 The horns and brass, too, were in top form — casting warm halos in the first movement before swerving into shows of sneering mock patriotism. Michael Andor Brodeur, Washington Post, 26 Jan. 2024 The band — rounded out by bassist Mike Dirnt and drummer Tré Cool, both 51 — broke through in the '90s with playful ponderings on growing pains and has long made noise with sneering protest anthems. Jeff Nelson, Peoplemag, 17 Jan. 2024 The 11-track album features their signature post-punk song structures with sneering, conversational vocals, but, this time, the tracks are more self-referential, relaying (and roasting) their recent successes. Pitchfork, 8 Jan. 2024
Noun
One of this District native’s great talents involves rapping in a sour, ornery sneer that can often be traced back to a tender, hurting heart. Chris Richards, Washington Post, 16 Feb. 2024 Not Trump’s pretend-nice victory speech on Monday night, or even his oh-so-predictable sneer at Haley’s given first name, Nimarata—which the former President misspelled, naturally. Susan B. Glasser, The New Yorker, 18 Jan. 2024 Karma took care of this one MOST READ D.C., Md. & Va. 1 2 3 ‘Tunnel girl’ gets heart emojis, sneers over mining project beneath Va. home 4 Google location data was used to find Jan. 6 rioters. Ellie Silverman, Washington Post, 6 Jan. 2024 Admonitions and sneers came from her pony face, a face chock-full of wrath. Michelle Orange, Harper's Magazine, 12 Dec. 2023 Disco, a mirror-ball fantasia born of Black, Latin, and L.G.B.T.Q. night life, mixed genres in search of the most glamorous, danceable grooves; New Wave kept punk’s D.I.Y. spirit and its reliance on irony but divested it of its sneer. Michelle Orange, The New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2023 The killer could be Will, played by Timberlake with a dyspeptic sneer of anxiety that’s just off-kilter enough to be fascinating. Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 26 Sep. 2023 The new styling is essentially S550 with less fillip and more sneer. Sam Smith, Car and Driver, 25 Aug. 2023 But four decades ago, a teen movie traded in sneers for sensitivity. Soraya Roberts, The Atlantic, 22 June 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sneer.' 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

Verb

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

First Known Use

Verb

1680, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

1707, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of sneer was in 1680

Dictionary Entries Near sneer

Cite this Entry

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

Kids Definition

sneer

1 of 2 verb
1
: to smile or laugh with expressions of scorn
2
: to speak or write in a scorning manner
sneerer noun

sneer

2 of 2 noun
: a sneering expression or remark

More from Merriam-Webster on sneer

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