as in grimaced
to smile in an unpleasant way because you are pleased with yourself, glad about someone else's trouble, etc.
She tried not to smirk when they announced the winner.
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Recent Examples of smirked
Chiles, waiting to speak in the back of the room, shook his head briefly and smirked.
—
Noah White, Miami Herald, 12 Sep. 2025
When told about his numbers, Coleman kind of smirked at the total, expecting a larger number.
—Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 16 Aug. 2025
Noah White, Miami Herald, 12 Sep. 2025
When told about his numbers, Coleman kind of smirked at the total, expecting a larger number.
—Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 16 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smirked
Verb
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Shelton first grimaced in pain after hitting a forehand at the end of the third set.—
Adam Zagoria,
Forbes.com,
29 Aug. 2025
-
Roupp immediately grimaced and collapsed onto the infield grass.—
Andrew Baggarly,
New York Times,
21 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The photographer was all ready not to miss anything — and just then the directrice of the salon walked over, stared right into the lens of the camera and drew the curtains.—
James Fallon,
Footwear News,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Moore stared deep, then threw to halfback Irvin Van Tassell for roughly 18 yards.—
Seth Wickersham,
The Atlantic,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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At certain workplaces, it’s frowned upon to sit, to appear idle or to gather around in groups.—
Katie Kilkenny,
HollywoodReporter,
4 Sep. 2025
-
In Israel it is frowned upon to criticize the nation, especially in front of outsiders.—
Uriel Kon
September 2,
Literary Hub,
2 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Smirked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smirked. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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