sneer

sneer

English

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /snɪə̯/
• (US) IPA^(key): /snɪə̯ɹ/

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪə(ɹ), -ɪɹ

Verb

sneer (third-person singular simple present sneers, present participle sneering, simple past and past participle sneered)

1. (intransitive) To raise a corner of the upper lip slightly, especially in scorn
2. (transitive) To utter with a grimace or contemptuous expression; to say sneeringly.

   to sneer fulsome lies at a person

   "Now here's someone who should attend privilege workshops," sneered she.

Translations

raise a corner of the upper lip slightly in scorn

Dutch: de (nl) neus (nl) optrekken (nl)/ophalen (nl), grimlachen (nl) Esperanto: rikani Finnish: hymähtää ivallisesti, irvistää (fi) French: ricaner (fr) Greek: Ancient Greek: μυκτηρίζω (muktērízō) Hebrew: סָנַט‎ (he) Italian: ghignare (it), sogghignare (it) Japanese: 嘲る (ja) (azakeru), 冷笑する (ja) (reishō suru) Maori: whakarāwai, whakahīhī, whakahī Norwegian: hånflire Persian: دهن‌کجی کردن‎ (dahan-kaji kardan) Swedish: grina (sv), hånle (sv)

to mock with a grimace

Maori: whakarāwai Polish: drwić (pl) impf, szydzić (pl) impf, kpić (pl) impf

Noun

sneer (plural sneers)

1. A facial expression where one slightly raises one corner of the upper lip, generally indicating scorn.
   • 1835, Charlotte Brontë, chapter XXX, in Villette‎:

     He supposed then (with a sneer—M. Paul could sneer supremely, curling his lip, opening his nostrils, contracting his eyelids)—he supposed there was but one form of appeal to which I would listen [...]

2. A display of contempt; scorn.
   • 1963, C.L.R. James, The Black Jacobins, 2nd Revised edition, page 24:

     And wordy attacks against slavery drew sneers from observers which were not altogether undeserved. The authors were compared to doctors who offered to a patient nothing more than invectives against the disease which consumed him.

   • 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 8, in The China Governess‎:

     It was a casual sneer, obviously one of a long line. There was hatred behind it, but of a quiet, chronic type, nothing new or unduly virulent, and he was taken aback by the flicker of amazed incredulity that passed over the younger man's ravaged face.

   • 2019 July 24, David Austin Walsh, “Flirting With Fascism”, in Jewish Currents‎:

     During [Tucker] Carlson’s keynote, he wedged sneers at his critics for crying “racist!” in between racist remarks about [Ilhan] Omar, jeremiads against the media (“I know there’s a bunch of reporters here, so . . . screw you”), and an attack on Elizabeth Warren and her donors (“She’s a tragedy, because she’s now obsessed with racism, which is why the finance world supports her”)—all to gleeful applause.

Translations

facial expression that indicates scorn

Catalan: somriure de menyspreu m, somriure d'escarni m Dutch: grijns (nl), gehoon (nl) Finnish: ivahymy (fi), irvistys (fi) Italian: ghigno (it) m, sogghigno (it) m Japanese: 嘲笑 (ja) (chōshō), 冷笑 (ja) (reishō) Latin: sanna f Persian: دهن‌کجی‎ (dahan-kaji) Russian: ухмылка (ru) f (uxmylka) Swedish: hånleende (sv) n

See also

• snarl

Anagrams

• Neers, Resen, ernes, neers, reens

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Dutch

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sneːr/

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

sneer m (plural sneren or sneers, diminutive sneertje n)

1. snide remark