sneer — to smile or speak in a scornful or mocking way
Part of speech: VERB
Definition: to smile or speak in a scornful or mocking way
Pronunciation (IPA): /snɪr/
Example Sentences
- The villain sneered as the hero fell into his trap.
- My cat seems to sneer at the cheap cat food I bought.
- Don't sneer at beginners - we were all there once.
sneer
VERB[/snɪr/]
to smile or speak in a scornful or mocking way
She gave a cold sneer when he showed off his cheap fake watch.
SN(nose) + EER(jeer) — wrinkling his SN(nose) in disgust to EER(jeer) at the poor worker, the rich man showed a terrible sneer.
While the kind crowd tried to loudly cheer, the jealous villain only gave a cold, mocking sneer.
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
From Middle Dutch 'sneren' meaning to turn or twist. The word evolved through Low German and Dutch influences, originally describing a twisted facial expression that evolved into its current meaning of contemptuous mockery.
Breakdown
sneer (root word, from Middle Dutch 'sneren' meaning to turn/twist) = a sneering expression or contemptuous remark
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“The villain sneered as the hero fell into his trap.”
“My cat seems to sneer at the cheap cat food I bought.”
“Don't sneer at beginners - we were all there once.”
“She sneered at my playlist and called it 'ancient music'.”
📚Related Words
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