as in to walk over
to show contempt for
her carpentry skills are nothing to sniff at
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sniff (at)
Verb
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Trump and his circle disdain the Bush-Ryan-Romney Republican Establishment and Clinton-Schumer-Jeffries Democratic Establishment in equal measure.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
10 Nov. 2025 -
Even if the 23rd French president’s time behind bars is cut short, the sound of any jailhouse door hitting him in the rear would be a sweet one for the many, many who disdained his right-wing politics and spectacular thirst for attention.—
Alexandra Marshall,
Air Mail,
1 Nov. 2025
Verb
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All sorts of people love and hate the show for completely opposing reasons, and yet what the show does is bring those people in a room together to watch art and discuss it afterwards.—
David Zucker,
Deadline,
10 Nov. 2025
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Alfred Hitchcock hated whodunnits.—
Anna Russell,
New Yorker,
10 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Screech your outrage, ACC schools disrespected by just one bid and pound your shoes on a desk somewhere, Notre Dame haters, especially those in the commonwealth of Kentucky and in the sunny setting of Miami.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
5 Nov. 2025
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In hundreds of communications reviewed by USA TODAY, Rochelle described falling behind on mortgage payments, needing help finding a daycare in Austin and feeling disrespected by caseworkers.—
Jayme Fraser,
USA Today,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Trump supporters despised him, while some Democrats embraced him — if reluctantly — and still many others would always condemn him as a war criminal for his role in Iraq.—
Don Gonyea,
NPR,
4 Nov. 2025
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Both brothers despise their father, for good reason.—
Karl Ove Knausgaard,
New Yorker,
21 Oct. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Sniff (at).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sniff%20%28at%29. Accessed 12 Nov. 2025.
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