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Synonyms

sneer

American  
[sneer] / snɪər /

verb (used without object)

  1. to smile, laugh, or contort the face in a manner that shows scorn or contempt.

    They sneered at his pretensions.

  2. to speak or write in a manner expressive of derision or scorn.

    Synonyms:
    gibe

verb (used with object)

  1. to utter or say in a sneering manner.

noun

  1. a look or expression of derision, scorn, or contempt.

  2. a derisive or scornful utterance, especially one more or less covert or insinuative.

    Synonyms:
    jeer, gibe, scoff

  3. an act of sneering.

sneer British  
/ snɪə /

noun

  1. a facial expression of scorn or contempt, typically with the upper lip curled

  2. a scornful or contemptuous remark or utterance

"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

verb

  1. (intr) to assume a facial expression of scorn or contempt

  2. to say or utter (something) in a scornful or contemptuous manner

"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

Related Words

See scoff 1.

Other Word Forms

  • sneerer noun
  • sneerful adjective
  • sneering adjective
  • sneeringly adverb
  • sneerless adjective
  • subsneer noun
  • unsneering adjective
  • unsneeringly adverb

Etymology

Origin of sneer

First recorded in 1545–55; originally, “to snort”; compare Frisian (northern dialect) sneere “scornful remark,” snarl 1

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.