simper
verb (used without object)
to smile in a silly, self-conscious way.
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.
Geoffrey’s simpering, emotional stuntedness may make it difficult for, say, the village’s priest or barkeep to see much of themselves in him.
From The Verge ● May 9, 2022
He has been a quailing, simpering paragon of mediocrity.
From Washington Post ● May 10, 2021
Davies was a gifted comedienne whose career was, if anything, hampered by her lover-producer’s insistence that she play only the simpering heroines of historical melodramas.
From Slate ● Nov. 12, 2020
But while characters like David Copperfield’s simpering first wife, Dora, may fulfil this stereotype, there are also radical departures.
From The Guardian ● Jun. 23, 2020
The Sea of Flames could have been in the Paris Museum all along—that simpering mineralogist and the assistant director laughing as he slunk away, duped, fooled, inveigled.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
