snarky

[snahr-kee]Slang.

See more synonyms for snarky on Thesaurus.com

adjective, snark·i·er, snark·i·est.

testy or irritable; short.
having a rudely critical tone or manner: snarky humor.

Origin of snarky

snark² + -y¹

Related formssnark·i·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for snarky

snide, cynical, irascible, sarcastic, irreverent, testy, scornful, spiteful, impertinent, cutting, irritable, caustic, abrasive, short-tempered

Examples from the Web for snarky

Contemporary Examples of snarky

“Some of those people who were snarky about it might have wanted to be part of it,” she says.
The Cast of ‘Peter Pan Live!’ Knows You Hatewatched ‘The Sound of Music’
Kevin Fallon
December 2, 2014
And then you'd whip out your iPhone and pull up that snarky tweet your friend wrote linking to the E!
Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Martin Consciously Couple
Kevin Fallon
August 15, 2014
The opening monologue was packed with witty—and in some cases, snarky—jokes.
Surprise! Ellen DeGeneres is the Best Oscars Host in a Decade
Marlow Stern
March 3, 2014
And thanks to camera phones and Twitter, the media megaphone and its ability to be snarky is at an all-time high.
Imperfect Harmony: Sochi Ain’t All That Bad
Joe Concha
February 10, 2014
I could always call on Alex for a quote that would be clever but honest and sharp but not snarky.
Alexandros Petersen, 1984-2014
Josh Rogin
January 22, 2014

Historical Examples of snarky

I say, Luke leant forward confidentially across the rickety green tin table, you know how snarky Pater was about him?
Twos and Threes
G. B. Stern

British Dictionary definitions for snarky

snarky

adjective snarkier or snarkiest

informal unpleasant and scornful

Word Origin for snarky

C20: from sarcastic + nasty

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 snarky

adj.

"irritable, short-tempered," 1906, from snark (v.) "to find fault with, nag" (1882), literally "to snort" (1866), from an imitative source akin to Low German snarken, North Frisian snarke, Swedish snarka; and cf. snarl (v.2), sneer (v.). Related: Snarkily; snarkiness.