SYNONYMS | EXAMPLES | WORD ORIGIN verb (used without object) to smile, laugh, or contort the face in a manner that shows scorn or contempt: They sneered at his pretensions.
to speak or write in a manner expressive of derision or scorn.
verb (used with object) to utter or say in a sneering manner.
noun a look or expression of derision, scorn, or contempt.
a derisive or scornful utterance, especially one more or less covert or insinuative.
an act of sneering.
Origin of sneer 1545–55; orig., to snort; compare
Frisian (N dial.)
sneere scornful remark,
snarl1 Related forms sneer·er , noun sneer·ful , adjective sneer·ing·ly , adverb sneer·less , adjective sub·sneer , noun un·sneer·ing , adjective un·sneer·ing·ly , adverb Synonyms for sneer 2 .
gibe . See
scoff1 .
5 . scoff, gibe, jeer.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Related Words for sneered taunt ,
jeer ,
scoff ,
deride ,
belittle ,
grin ,
dump ,
twit ,
gird ,
slam ,
jest ,
rally ,
caricature ,
leer ,
swipe ,
insult ,
lampoon ,
decry ,
travesty ,
crack Examples from the Web for sneered Contemporary Examples of sneered Gawker sneered that Uber is "Ayn Rand's favorite car service."
Onscreen, he shoved his jaw out, jutted his hips, and sneered at the camera.
“Mr. Weiner is not a normal human being,” sneered the Journal in its editorial demanding he drop out.
So how many people, including those who sneered at Aguilera, can even recite the lyrics?
The two men have sneered at Hirsi Ali in print, dismissing her as an “Enlightenment fundamentalist.”
Historical Examples of sneered "A sneak always lies well," he replied, as he sneered at Lanning.
How could there be any hope of a boy who sneered at his mother?
Cassidy sneered , outraged by such impudence on the part of an ex-convict.
"That's what the Public are up against in this game," sneered the backer of Lucretia.
At which he sneered , and said that was a bull and a blunder, but no wonder, as I was an Irishman.
British Dictionary definitions for sneered noun a facial expression of scorn or contempt, typically with the upper lip curled
a scornful or contemptuous remark or utterance
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verb (intr) to assume a facial expression of scorn or contempt
to say or utter (something) in a scornful or contemptuous manner
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Derived Forms sneerer , noun sneerful , adjective sneering , adjective , noun sneeringly , adverb Word Origin for sneer C16: perhaps from Low Dutch; compare North Frisian sneere contempt
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for sneered v. 1550s, "to snort" (of horses), perhaps from North Frisian sneere "to scorn," related to Old English fnæran "to snort, gnash one's teeth," of imitative origin (cf. Danish snærre "to grin like a dog," Middle Dutch, Middle High German snarren "to rattle"). Meaning "to smile contemptuously" is from 1670s; sense of "to curl the upper lip in scorn" is attested from 1775. Related: Sneered ; sneering . Sneer word is in E. Digby Baltzell (1987).
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
