• Dutch: de neus optrekken/ophalen
• Finnish: ivata, naureskella
• Hebrew: סנט
• Spanish: burlarse

See also

• snarl

Dutch

Pronunciation

• /sner/|lang=nl

Noun

1. A snide remark.

Verb

A sneer is a scornful facial expression characterized by a slight raising of one corner of the upper lip.

It is used to express contempt and a sneer can be a facial expression, sound, or statement.

“Who can refute a sneer?” -William Paley (1743–1805): Moral Philosophy Vol. ii, Book v, Chap. 9

Biblical Sneers

There are five sneers recorded in the Bible:

• The wicked sneer at God (Isaiah 57:4)
• The arrogant man sneers at his enemies (Psalm 10:6)
• The Pharisees sneered at Jesus (Luke 16:14)
• The people and rulers sneered at Jesus on the cross (Luke 23:35)
• The men of Athens sneered at Paul (Acts 17:32)

References

• John Bartlett (1820–1905), Familiar Quotations, 10th ed, 1919, p.861

See also

• sarcasm
• snarl

barrack, be above, be contemptuous of, care nothing for, chaff, contemn, contempt, cut, cut at, cut direct, deride, derision, despise, dig at, disdain, disparage, disprize, disregard, dump on, feel contempt for, feel superior to, fleer, flout, gibe, gird, grin, hold beneath one, hold cheap, hold in contempt, humiliation, insult, jab, jab at, jape, jeer, jeer at, jeering, jest, knock, laugh at, leer, look down upon, misprize, mock, mockery, pooh, pooh-pooh, put down, quip, rail at, rally, rank low, rank out, rebuff, repulse, revile, ridicule, sardonic grin, scoff, scorn, scornful laugh, scout, set at naught, slam, slap at, slight, smile, smirk, sneer at, sneering, sneeze at, snicker, sniff, sniff at, snigger, snort, snort at, snub, spurn, spurning, swipe, taunt, the cold shoulder, the go-by, think nothing of, twit, underrate