smirk

[smurk]

See more synonyms for smirk on Thesaurus.com

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

before 900; Middle English smirken (v.), Old English sme(a)rcian

Related formssmirk·er, nounsmirk·ing·ly, adverbun·smirk·ing, adjectiveun·smirk·ing·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for smirking

smirk, laugh, grin, beam, shine, radiate, glow, sneer, chortle, chuckle, giggle, frown, contort, scowl, stare, eye, goggle, wink, gloat, ogle

Examples from the Web for smirking

Contemporary Examples of smirking

A smirking Ramone is shown wearing both a CBGB shirt and heavy gold chains, posing next to an enormous boombox.
‘All Good Cretins Go to Heaven’: Dee Dee Ramone’s Twisted Punk Paintings
Melissa Leon
December 15, 2014
Yet, after months of backdoor negotiations there was Xi, stone-facedly shaking hands with a smirking Abe.
Beijing’s ‘Star Trek’ APEC Summit
Jake Adelstein
November 11, 2014
He told me to enter while smirking, knowing full well my intentions.
Cocaine, Politicians and Wives: Inside the World’s Most Bizarre Prison
Jason Batansky
October 12, 2014
No character this year is more volatile and unpredictable; you never know what the hunched-over, smirking Quell will do next.
The Daily Beast’s Oscar Nominees: Leonardo DiCaprio, Anne Hathaway & More
Marlow Stern
January 4, 2013
Maria is the first “political criminal” in the family, she says, smirking between puffs of her cigarette.
Russia’s Opposition Movement Starts to Crack
Anna Nemtsova
November 14, 2012

Historical Examples of smirking

Stevens defended—bad, bad, bad, smirking all the while with small faceti.
The Manxman
Hall Caine
What does that little man mean by smirking in that fashion,—who is he?
Davenport Dunn, Volume 1 (of 2)
Charles James Lever
He had one arm round her neck, and she was holding his other hand and smirking.
Sketches in Lavender, Blue and Green
Jerome K. Jerome
Tarling put the girl from him and looked at the smirking manager.
The Daffodil Mystery
Edgar Wallace
Then, smirking at his friends, he made his way towards the door.
The Island Pharisees
John Galsworthy

British Dictionary definitions for smirking

smirk

noun

a smile expressing scorn, smugness, etc, rather than pleasure

verb

(intr) to give such a smile
(tr) to express with such a smile

Derived Formssmirker, nounsmirking, adjectivesmirkingly, adverb

Word Origin for smirk

Old English smearcian; related to smer derision, Old High German bismer contempt, bismerōn to scorn

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

Word Origin and History for smirking

smirk

Old English smearcian "to smile." No exact cognates in other languages, but probably related to smerian "to laugh at, scorn," from Proto-Germanic *smer-, *smar-, variant of PIE *smei- "to smile;" see smile (v.), which after c.1500 gradually restricted smirk to the unpleasant sense "smile affectedly; grin in a malicious or smug way." In some 18c. glossaries smirk is still simply "to smile." Related: Smirked; smirking. The noun is recorded by 1560s.

smirk

1550s, from smirk (v.).