twit

¹

[ twit ]

verb (used with object)

, twit·ted, twit·ting.

1. to taunt, tease, ridicule, etc., with reference to anything embarrassing; gibe at.

   Synonyms: deride, insult, mock

2. to reproach or upbraid.

   Synonyms: castigate, revile, criticize, rebuke, scold, chide

noun

1. an act of twitting.
2. a derisive reproach; taunt; gibe.

twit

²

[ twit ]

noun

1. a weak or thin place in yarn caused by uneven spinning.

twit

³

[ twit ]

noun

, Informal.

1. an insignificant, silly, or bothersome person:

   Pay no attention to that obnoxious little twit!

twit

⁴

[ twit ]

noun

, Informal.

1. a confused, excited state:

   to be in a twit about company coming.

   Synonyms: stew, dither, tizzy

twit

¹

/ twɪt /

verb

1. tr to tease, taunt, or reproach, often in jest

noun

1. informal.
   a nervous or excitable state
2. rare.
   a reproach; taunt

twit

²

/ twɪt /

noun

1. informal.
   a foolish or stupid person; idiot

Word History and Origins

Origin of twit¹

First recorded in 1520–30; shortened variant of obsolete atwite, Middle English atwiten, Old English ætwītan “to taunt,” equivalent to æt- “at” + wītan “to blame”; at ¹

Origin of twit²

First recorded in 1810–20; origin uncertain

Origin of twit³

First recorded in 1920–25; perhaps originally noun derivative of twit ¹, i.e., “one who twits others,” but altered in sense by association with expressive words with tw- ( twaddle, twat, twerp, etc.) and by rhyme with nitwit

Origin of twit⁴

First recorded in 1890–95; probably shortened from twitter

Word History and Origins

Origin of twit¹

Old English ætwītan, from æt against + wītan to accuse; related to Old High German wīzan to punish

Origin of twit²

C19: from twit ¹(originally in the sense: a person given to twitting)

Example Sentences

I laughed when I saw the example sentence using this perfect word: Pay no attention to that obnoxious little TWIT!

From The Daily Beast

But in one segment, Ray gets her seasonings mixed up (twice), giving critics all the more reason to call her a twit.

From The Daily Beast

And Wiener announced on Thursday her intent to take a “little twit-cation.”

From The Daily Beast

The twit, Guy Clinch, is the unlucky father of Marmaduke, an 18-month-old prodigy of domestic mayhem.

From The Daily Beast

Jar Jar Binks: "a wrist-flapping, deer-faced twit of an alien with the voice of a Jamaican drag-queen."

From The Daily Beast

Wednesday came, and still he was well, with which his impertinent wife did much twit him in his teeth.

From Project Gutenberg

With her free hand now she gave the string a small twit and watched the vibration run up and down the string twice.

From Project Gutenberg

But look here, old fellow, you were ready enough to twit me about not being with the army.

From Project Gutenberg

Besides, so very little has transpired to go by that I can't see exactly what they could either congratulate or twit about.

From Project Gutenberg

They twit us with our debased fondness for the tub, and they do but add injury to insult when they send us soap for use therein.

From Project Gutenberg