as in barking
to speak sharply or irritably
she snarled at me after I kept badgering her with questions
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in tangling
to twist together into a usually confused mass
you'll be awfully sorry if you snarl your fishing line
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Recent Examples of snarling
Nicholas Gordon, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2026
Law enforcement took a 37-year-old Kuna man into custody Wednesday evening after a 2-mile police chase came to an end near Interstate 84, snarling traffic and forcing road closures, Meridian police said.
—Idaho Statesman, 1 Apr. 2026
Iran has maintained its ability to strike targets in the region and effectively shut down the Strait of Hormuz, snarling the global oil trade.
—Will Weissert, Twin Cities, 25 Mar. 2026
At night, Yusuf goes back to his village, where his family is regularly brutalized by the local authorities, led by the snarling protomillenarian Captain Wingate (played by Robert Aramayo, whom some will recognize as the young actor who scored an upset win at the BAFTAs last month for I Swear).
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2026
Activists have long made Maryland a cultural battleground over transit, with pushes for traffic-snarling bike lanes, and doomed infrastructure projects like the Red Line, described by former Governor Larry Hogan as a boondoggle.
—Torrey Snow, Baltimore Sun, 11 Mar. 2026
That was followed by Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, which led to a spike in energy prices, snarling supply chains and prompting a risk-off move in emerging markets.
—Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 9 Mar. 2026
Out slink the striped cats, snarling and roaring, leaping at each other or at me.
—Alessandro Meregaglia, The Conversation, 3 Mar. 2026
The disruptions have rippled far beyond the conflict zone, stranding tourists, business travelers, migrant workers and religious pilgrims across multiple continents and snarling global travel that relies heavily on Gulf airports.
—Adam Schreck, Chicago Tribune, 2 Mar. 2026
Verb
The Iran war is also snarling shipments of other commodities, like fertilizer, aluminum, and helium.
—Nicholas Gordon, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2026
Law enforcement took a 37-year-old Kuna man into custody Wednesday evening after a 2-mile police chase came to an end near Interstate 84, snarling traffic and forcing road closures, Meridian police said.
—Idaho Statesman, 1 Apr. 2026
Iran has maintained its ability to strike targets in the region and effectively shut down the Strait of Hormuz, snarling the global oil trade.
—Will Weissert, Twin Cities, 25 Mar. 2026
At night, Yusuf goes back to his village, where his family is regularly brutalized by the local authorities, led by the snarling protomillenarian Captain Wingate (played by Robert Aramayo, whom some will recognize as the young actor who scored an upset win at the BAFTAs last month for I Swear).
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2026
Activists have long made Maryland a cultural battleground over transit, with pushes for traffic-snarling bike lanes, and doomed infrastructure projects like the Red Line, described by former Governor Larry Hogan as a boondoggle.
—Torrey Snow, Baltimore Sun, 11 Mar. 2026
That was followed by Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, which led to a spike in energy prices, snarling supply chains and prompting a risk-off move in emerging markets.
—Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 9 Mar. 2026
Out slink the striped cats, snarling and roaring, leaping at each other or at me.
—Alessandro Meregaglia, The Conversation, 3 Mar. 2026
The disruptions have rippled far beyond the conflict zone, stranding tourists, business travelers, migrant workers and religious pilgrims across multiple continents and snarling global travel that relies heavily on Gulf airports.
—Adam Schreck, Chicago Tribune, 2 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Snarling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/snarling. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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