as in grimacing
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 smirking
Ideological skirmishes over the motives and obligations of Carpenter’s music include both sincere interrogation of its feminism and smirking counteractive reprisals to that scrutiny.
—
Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 3 Sep. 2025
Colson replied with a photo of herself smirking while wearing a green jacket.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 5 Aug. 2025
Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 3 Sep. 2025
Colson replied with a photo of herself smirking while wearing a green jacket.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 5 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smirking
Verb
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Miller could be seen bending over and grimacing after the fateful pitch, in an obvious degree of pain.—
Jon Vankin,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 Sep. 2025
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In the new logo, which the university said was designed in-house, the mascot's grimacing expression is the same, but his fists are down.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
21 Aug. 2025
Verb
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In a brief video snippet accompanying the post, Cyrus is seen in close-up staring directly into the camera while wearing what looks like surgical gauze around her chin and head as more white material is blown by a breeze around her face.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
16 Sep. 2025
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As her 3-year-old began moving and removing her hand from her face and staring across the restaurant, Ariana followed her daughter's eyes to see another man seated far away from them.—
Hannah Sacks,
PEOPLE,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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His Teddy is a skeevy, scowling hippie incel who seems to have burnt everything out of himself but the desire for vengeance.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
28 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Smirking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smirking. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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