smirky

1 7.8

Having a small proud smile that shows you feel pleased with yourself

adjective
/ˈsmɜrki/

: satisfecho

She gave a smirky grin after answering the question correctly, clearly pleased with herself.
smirky smile

Before she went back to the pool she gave me this weird smirky look.

Examples

It was Jim, giving me a smirky look.

Fiction book (1999)
Note the hands on the hips and how "cool" and smirky he can be.

Blog text (27)
Chase gave a smirky laugh since that's the time he leaves for seminary each day.

Blog text (24)
Boyd and Jim seemed smirky and superior because they played in a band, but Sandra liked most of the people she worked with.

Fiction book (1991)
He walked to the patrol car with a smirky kind of grin on his face.

Fiction book (1997)
I always go for the smirky, winky, cheesy grin, kind of like that.
"Don't be smirky and pious, Verna, please."

Fiction book (1995)
His smirky smile made it clear that he enjoyed teasing his friends.
The politician spoke with a smirky tone, as if he knew something the public didn't.

Synonyms

smug

vssmirky

85 5.2

A person who feels too pleased with themselves in a way that annoys others

is a sly self satisfied expression rather than overt pride

arch

vssmirky

Literature

7.9

Playfully teasing in a sly way

is a sly self satisfied expression rather than playful teasing

Antonyms

genuine

156 3.2

Truly felt and not fake, for example a smile or apology

How Smug

arrogant

260 4.5

conceited

24 5.4

smug

85 5.2

smirky

1 7.8

self-satisfied

6 4.9

Surface Forms

smirky positive

Morphology

smirky = smirk (transparent) = smirk + y

Formed by the productive adjective-forming suffix '-y' on the known base 'smirk', giving 'characterized by or having a smirk'.

Etymology

Smirky comes from the older word smirk, a kind of sly 'smile', plus the ending -y meaning 'having' or 'full of'. So, smirky describes someone with a sly, self-satisfied expression.