snivel

[sniv-uh l]

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verb (used without object), sniv·eled, sniv·el·ing or (especially British) sniv·elled, sniv·el·ling.

to weep or cry with sniffling.

to affect a tearful state; whine.

to run at the nose; have a runny nose: She sniveled from the cold.

to draw up mucus audibly through the nose: Stop sniveling and use your handkerchief.

verb (used with object), sniv·eled, sniv·el·ing or (especially British) sniv·elled, sniv·el·ling.

to utter with sniveling or sniffling.

noun

weak, whining, or pretended weeping.

a light sniffle, as in weeping.

a hypocritical show of feeling: a sentimental snivel.

mucus running from the nose.

snivels, a sniveling condition; a slight cold; sniffles (usually preceded by the).

Origin of snivel

1275–1325; Middle English snyvele; compare Old English snyflung (gerund), derivative of snofl mucus; cognate with Low German snüfeln

Related formssniv·el·er; especially British, sniv·el·ler, noun

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

Related Words for sniveling

gripe, whimper, whine, groan, shine, sob, sniff, blubber, weep, complain, fret, sniffle

Examples from the Web for sniveling

Historical Examples of sniveling

Come, come; don't go to sniveling; be a good girl, and mind the main chance.
The Contrast
Royall Tyler
Augustine went off, sobbing and sniveling, dragging her feet in the snow.
L'Assommoir
Emile Zola
From sobbing, Miss Winthrop dwindled to sniveling, and there she stopped.
The Wall Street Girl
Frederick Orin Bartlett
She did not care about him, so what was she sniveling about and making her nose all red?
The Wall Street Girl
Frederick Orin Bartlett
What care have we for monastery bells and sniveling priests!
Vanished Halls and Cathedrals of France
George Warton Edwards

British Dictionary definitions for sniveling

snivel

verb -els, -elling or -elled or US -els, -eling or -eled

(intr) to sniffle as a sign of distress, esp contemptibly

to utter (something) tearfully; whine

(intr) to have a runny nose

noun

an instance of snivelling

Derived Formssniveller, nounsnivelling, adjective, nounsnivelly, adjective

Word Origin for snivel

C14 snivelen; related to Old English snyflung mucus, Dutch snuffelen to smell out, Old Norse snoppa snout

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 sniveling

snivel

Old English *snyflan "to run at the nose" (cf. snyflung "running of the nose"), related to snofl "nasal mucus;" see snout. Meaning "to be in an (affected) tearful state" is from 1680s. Related: Snivelled; snivelling. As a noun from 14c. Melville coined snivelization (1849). Middle English had contemptuous term snivelard (n.).