smirk
[ smurk ]
verb (used without object)
to smile in an affected, smug, or offensively familiar way.
noun
the facial expression of a person who smirks.
Origin of smirk
1First recorded before 900; Middle English smirken (verb), Old English sme(a)rcian
Other words from smirk
- smirker, noun
- smirk·ing·ly, adverb
- un·smirk·ing, adjective
- un·smirk·ing·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use smirk in a sentence
Gower had gone headlong into happiness, where philosophers are smirkers and mouthers of ordinary stuff.
The Amazing Marriage, Complete | George Meredith
British Dictionary definitions for smirk
smirk
/ (smɜːk) /
noun
a smile expressing scorn, smugness, etc, rather than pleasure
verb
(intr) to give such a smile
(tr) to express with such a smile
Origin of smirk
1Old English smearcian; related to smer derision, Old High German bismer contempt, bismerōn to scorn
Derived forms of smirk
- smirker, noun
- smirking, adjective
- smirkingly, adverb
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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