sneer

CEFRC1

/snɪə̯/

noun · verb

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    A cruel smile showing disrespect.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    A facial expression where one slightly raises one corner of the upper lip, generally indicating scorn.

Examples

  • He curled his lip in a sneer.

  • There was a laughing devil in his sneer.

At a glance

Sits at C1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
5
Synonyms
5

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. To utter with a grimace or contemptuous expression; to say sneeringly.

  2. A display of contempt; scorn.

verb

Extra meaning

  1. To raise a corner of the upper lip slightly, especially in scorn.

More examples

In context

  • to sneer fulsome lies at a person

  • There was a quick scuffle within the cabin. "Leave me alone, I say, and git!" cried the cook. "Can't I be friendly without you hollerin?" sneered the miner. "You wouldn't have been 'lowed to stay round here if it hadn't been for me."

  • Near them, on the sand, / Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown, / And wrinked lip, and sneer of cold command, / Tell that its sculptor well those passions read

Synonyms

Antonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The arrogant critic will blank at the painter's recent work, calling it amateurish.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

From Middle English sneren (“to mock, scoff at”), from Old English fnǣran (“to snort”), from Proto-West Germanic *fnāʀijan, from Proto-Germanic *fnesaną (“to pant, gasp”). Akin to North Frisian sneere (“to scorn”), Middle High German snerren (“to chatter; gossip”), Danish snerre (“to growl, snarl”).