as in laughing
to express scornful amusement by means of facial contortions
they brushed off his sneer and went about their business
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sneering
In character as a free spirit who scorns social convention, Davis is all haughty tosses of the head and sneering lines.
—
Darren Franich, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Mar. 2026
Chalamet, whose grandmother, mother, and sister all performed with the New York City Ballet, is not sneering at the artists.
—Tiana Lowe Doescher, The Washington Examiner, 13 Mar. 2026
That lack of an official accounting encouraged a willful amnesia about the regime’s crimes and, Mendonça Filho has argued, led directly to the 2018 election of Jair Bolsonaro, who ran on a platform of sneering nostalgia for the era of military rule.
—Michael Snyder, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2026
Impossibly cool at 60 years old, Reznor is all swagger, with his soaring, sneering vocals sounding as strong as his first decade recording.
—William Earl, Variety, 17 Feb. 2026
Where is the patriotism in sneering at America’s great achievements?
—Emilie G.c. Thompson, STAT, 15 Jan. 2026
Even the epithets for the Kansas City Chiefs are built on divisional rivalry and that team’s long track record of success, not sneering dismissiveness.
—Nick Coltrain, Denver Post, 30 Nov. 2025
Pluribus, despite its own existence as a piece of populist fiction, depicts all the readers of Carol’s Wycaro books from the perspective of her sneering disdain.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 14 Nov. 2025
Democrats gathered for a conference hosted by progressives were sneering at Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, who was not present, for shutting down popular new faces based on disagreements over specific issues.
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 8 Nov. 2025
Darren Franich, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Mar. 2026
Chalamet, whose grandmother, mother, and sister all performed with the New York City Ballet, is not sneering at the artists.
—Tiana Lowe Doescher, The Washington Examiner, 13 Mar. 2026
That lack of an official accounting encouraged a willful amnesia about the regime’s crimes and, Mendonça Filho has argued, led directly to the 2018 election of Jair Bolsonaro, who ran on a platform of sneering nostalgia for the era of military rule.
—Michael Snyder, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2026
Impossibly cool at 60 years old, Reznor is all swagger, with his soaring, sneering vocals sounding as strong as his first decade recording.
—William Earl, Variety, 17 Feb. 2026
Where is the patriotism in sneering at America’s great achievements?
—Emilie G.c. Thompson, STAT, 15 Jan. 2026
Even the epithets for the Kansas City Chiefs are built on divisional rivalry and that team’s long track record of success, not sneering dismissiveness.
—Nick Coltrain, Denver Post, 30 Nov. 2025
Pluribus, despite its own existence as a piece of populist fiction, depicts all the readers of Carol’s Wycaro books from the perspective of her sneering disdain.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 14 Nov. 2025
Democrats gathered for a conference hosted by progressives were sneering at Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, who was not present, for shutting down popular new faces based on disagreements over specific issues.
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 8 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sneering
Verb
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Inspired by the two authors' real-life childhood diaries, the show explores every stage of womanhood from growing up to getting older and laughing all the way.—
Jennifer McRae,
CBS News,
17 Mar. 2026
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Kulukundis said, as the camera cut to Anderson and wife Maya Rudolph laughing at the quip.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Vandy’s star guard Tyler Tanner, who finished with 20, ran the length of the court smiling, unbothered, so often that Florida took to comforting him.—
Noah White,
Miami Herald,
14 Mar. 2026
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Hughes remembered as a spiritual leader While there have been public honors for Hughes – his smiling yearbook photo was displayed on the scoreboard overlooking the football field – much of the grieving in this community of about 200,000 people is playing out in private.—
Andy Rose,
CNN Money,
14 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sneering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sneering. Accessed 18 Mar. 2026.
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