snivel

1 of 2

verb

sniv·​el ˈsni-vəl How to pronounce snivel (audio)
sniveled or snivelled; sniveling or snivelling ˈsni-və-liŋ How to pronounce snivel (audio)
ˈsniv-liŋ

intransitive verb

1
: to run at the nose
2
: to snuff mucus up the nose audibly : snuffle
3
: to cry or whine with snuffling
4
: to speak or act in a whining, sniffling, tearful, or weakly emotional manner
sniveler
ˈsni-və-lər How to pronounce snivel (audio)
ˈsniv-lər
noun

snivel

2 of 2

noun

1
snivels plural, dialect : head cold
2
: an act of sniveling

Did you know?

There's never been anything pretty about sniveling. Snivel, which originally meant simply "to have a runny nose," has an Old English ancestor whose probable form was snyflan. Its lineage includes some other charming words of yore: an Old English word for mucus, snofl; the Middle Dutch word for a head cold, snof; the Old Norse word for snout, which is snoppa; and nan, a Greek verb meaning "to flow." Nowadays, we mostly use snivel as we have since the 1600s: when self-pitying whining is afoot, whether or not such sniveling is accompanied by unchecked nasal flow.

Examples of snivel in a Sentence

Verb millionaires sniveling about their financial problems “Woe is me,” she sniveled.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Verb
But Sarah had only driven about a block before Jamie called to snivel out an apology. Charlie Mason, TVLine, 24 Nov. 2024 Tom Felton, who played the sniveling Slytherin in every Potter film, wrote a tribute to the actress on Instagram. Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 28 Sep. 2024 Still, the war between the virtuous Autobots and the sniveling Decepticons has enough sheer weirdness to it to serve as inspiration for compelling fiction, even if Michael Bay has never managed to crack that code. Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 12 Sep. 2024 But any hopes of a warm and fuzzy family reunion were dashed in the Season 3 finale, when Soldier Boy called Homelander weak and sniveling. Vlada Gelman, TVLine, 18 July 2024 Gollum feels some guilt, finally Photo: New Line Cinema Serkis does a fantastic job in The Two Towers bouncing back and forth between the aggressive and conniving Gollum and the needy and sniveling Smeagol as the creature grows close to Frodo but is also increasingly drawn to the One Ring. Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 14 Feb. 2024 And is too much to have the sniveling Scots swim coach (Christopher Eccleston) actually heave a radio through the nearest window pane at a key moment? Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 31 May 2024 Like what, low-crawling out of town like a bunch of sniveling cowards? Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Feb. 2024 Succession did a lot of things right — hiring Nicholas Britell to compose its instantly delectable theme music and score the show, turning Mr. Darcy into the sniveling sycophant that is Tom Wambsgans, making Willa write the flop play Sands that bankrupts her sugar daddy. Vulture, 21 Dec. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Old English *snyflan; akin to Dutch snuffelen to snuffle, snuffen to sniff

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1600, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of snivel was in the 14th century

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Dictionary Entries Near snivel

Cite this Entry

“Snivel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/snivel. Accessed 7 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

snivel

verb
sniv·​el
ˈsniv-əl
sniveled or snivelled; sniveling or snivelling
-(ə-)liŋ
1
: to draw mucus up the nose loud enough to be heard
2
: to cry or whine with sniffling
3
: to speak or act in a whining manner
sniveler
-(ə-)lər
noun
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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