Definition of SNEERS

Choose the Right Synonym for sneer

Verb

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. in high school the in crowd would invariably sneer every time they passed the hapless nerds

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

The microwave explanation persisted for a while, says Lorimer, as skeptics sneered at the notion of finding a burst that was observed only once. — Katia Moskvitch, WIRED, "An Alien-Hunting Tech Mogul May Help Solve a Space Mystery," 21 July 2019 Yet there’s another chunk of Knicks fans, who like James Dolan perhaps, will opt to sneer at Porzingis and decry his escape to Dallas, hurling boos at the faux-savior of the franchise. — Michael Shapiro, SI.com, "NBA Schedule Release: Interesting Storylines That Will Shape the 2019-20 Season," 13 Aug. 2019 Perhaps the American Dream, once yearned for by new immigrants and settled Americans alike, is not even possible these days – or can be invoked only with sneering irony. — The Economist, "How donuts fuelled the American Dream," 26 July 2019 Nobody should sneer at 60 percent of the vote, but Massachusetts is a distinctly bluer-than-average state, and most other Democratic senators outperformed Clinton that year. — Matthew Yglesias, Vox, "Elizabeth Warren proved she’s ready for the big show," 27 June 2019 Others will simply sneer and hurl insults at the crowd. — Nell Haynes, The Conversation, "How indigenous women revolutionized Bolivian wrestling," 5 July 2019 Outside the cities, people feel as if they are sneered at by greedy, self-serving urban sophisticates. — The Economist, "The global crisis in conservatism," 4 July 2019 Conversely, Parker embraced the rituals that Johnson sneered at, as if he were programmed to please. — Elena Nicolaou, refinery29.com, "Luke Parker Is The New Chad Johnson — But Even Worse," 20 June 2019 The malice with which Queen Marguerite spits out her lines, the throb of anguish in Queen Marie’s voice and the Doctor’s affected sneer all start to feel stale after a while. — Margaret Gray, latimes.com, "Review: At City Garage in Santa Monica, a king who won't accept the ultimate exit," 19 June 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Credit a unique combination of talent, pluck, luck, determination and the perpetually defiant sneers Richards and Jagger appear to have honed almost since birth. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Rolling Stones rocking on with Mick Jagger’s new heart valve, largely sober Keith Richards," 18 Aug. 2019 The display of civility drew sneers from the state’s Republican Party, which has repeatedly hammered Northam over the blackface scandal. — Antonio Olivo, Washington Post, "Va. Gov. Northam meets with federal lawmakers, no mention of blackface scandal," 27 June 2019 Rick, of course—gets to deliver his scumbag line, with a sneer on his scumbag face. — Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, "Quentin Tarantino Tweaks History in “Once Upon a Time . . . in Hollywood”," 26 July 2019 Her sister, Jack (Madison Davenport), adorned with a sneer and a nose ring, exhibits her teen alienation by thrashing on a guitar, in the way of the Pixies and Sonic Youth, bands favored by the girls’ late mother. — Troy Patterson, The New Yorker, "The Best Episode of the New “Black Mirror” Is a Princess Tale Starring Miley Cyrus," 5 June 2019 The plot vaporizes for long stretches, but the take-home meaning usually remains as blatant as Aubrey Plaza’s sneer. — Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, "Does Legion Have a Soul?," 4 Apr. 2018 These instructions, as published by the Pennsylvanian, were illustrated with a photo of a latter-day Trump at campaign rally — pointing his finger in the air and twisting his face into a ridiculous sneer. — Avi Selk, Washington Post, "It’s the 50th anniversary of the day Trump left college and (briefly) faced the draft," 20 May 2018 Reportedly the sinister force behind the heist that drives the story, Dryden Vos is armed with both a menacing sneer and what appears to be brass knuckles with a lightsaber edge. — NBC News, "Five takeaways from New 'Solo: A Star Wars Story' Trailer," 9 Apr. 2018 There’s always something to be said for filtering the timeless charm of ‘60s girl-group music through the snarl and sneer of classic punk. — Ed Masley, azcentral, "Summer concerts in Phoenix: Eagles, Post Malone, Logic, Panic! at the Disco, J. Cole, Wiz Khalifa," 15 June 2018

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