sneer
To smile in a nasty way that shows you look down on someone; or that nasty smile.
sneer in a sentence
- 'You call that a goal?' he sneered, curling his lip at the younger boys.
- 'That drawing is rubbish,' she would sneer, looking down her nose at every picture.
Try an 11+ style question
Verbal reasoning papers often ask about a word like this.
Which word is closest in meaning to sneer?
- Amock
- Bpraise
- Csmile
- Dcheer
Show the answer
A: mock. The other three mean the opposite of sneer.
Which word is most nearly opposite in meaning to sneer?
- Ascoff
- Bmock
- Cpraise
- Dsmirk
Show the answer
C: praise. The other three mean nearly the same as sneer.
Words that mean something similar
mock, smirk, scoff
Words that mean the opposite
praise, smile, cheer
More words about behaviour & manners
- spontaneous: Done suddenly without planning it first.
- squander: To waste money or time in a careless way.
- submissive: Always willing to obey others without arguing.
- submit: To give in to someone, or to hand in work for someone to judge.
- subterfuge: A trick used to hide what you are really doing, or to get your own way.
- succumb: To give in to something you have been fighting against.
- swagger: To walk in a proud, show-off way; or that proud way of walking.
- tactful: Careful not to upset people with what you say or do.
More words to explore
Sitting the 11+ in Kent, Medway or Buckinghamshire?
Plain-English guides to each test, from the councils’ own pages: Kent Test · Medway Test · Bucks Secondary Transfer Test