simper
Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
noun
verb
-
(intr) to smile coyly, affectedly, or in a silly self-conscious way
-
(tr) to utter (something) in a simpering manner
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of simper
First recorded in 1560–70; related to the Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, and Swiss dialect adjective semper “affected, coy,” German zimpfer “dainty, affected,” and to Middle Dutch zimperlijc “affected, coy”; further etymology unknown
Explanation
To simper means to smile in an artificial, coy or self-conscious way. If you hope to please someone by simpering, you may wind up annoying him or her. The origin of the word simper is not clear, but it is probably Germanic as there are similar words in Danish as well as Middle Dutch. What is clear is that a simper is not attractive to those observing it. Watching your colleague simper and giggle as the boss tells a not-very-funny joke, you can be sure that she is angling for that promotion.
Vocabulary lists containing simper
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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The Lingo of Body Language
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Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Each section starts with Rhiannon and actor and interpreter Thomas Simper enacting extracts from Beethoven’s conversation books - notepads he carried to converse with his friends as he was losing his hearing.
From BBC • Aug. 30, 2024
Investigators are still determining the cause of the fire, but so far have “no indication it’s criminal,” Simper said.
From Seattle Times • Jan. 21, 2023
The firework exploded on the road and left paper remnants as debris and didn’t damage any structures, Simper wrote.
From Seattle Times • Dec. 3, 2021
Felicity Simper from BBC Essex arrived on the scene to find "utter devastation".
From BBC • Feb. 5, 2014
Here I was, for some time, the favourite of Mrs. Simper, my lady's woman, who could not bear the vulgar girls, and was happy in the attendance of a young woman of some education.
From The Works of Samuel Johnson, Volume 04 The Adventurer; The Idler by Johnson, Samuel
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
