snigger
2
7.2
- noun
- /ˈsnɪɡər/
- UK
:
risita
- It's not a case of having a high school snigger at the design; I left school in 1993, so I'm beyond that now.
- a little snigger
Examples
-
The audience reacted to the comedian's joke with a friendly snigger.
-
I could hear the slight snigger in his voice as he tried really hard to take me seriously.
Blog text (30) -
If you want to have a high-school-style snigger at the poor design, go for it.
Blog text (30) -
When I expressed myself in this regard to Clarissa, she did little more than snigger; hence, my hostility toward her.
Fiction book (2001) -
Nodding, the old man turned to the novices, quelling scattered sniggers.
Fiction book (1993) -
Faced with this bon mot, Wilde and their other dining companions responded with embarrassed sniggers.
Academic text (2011) -
I spent the rest of the lunch hour feeling the eyes of my classmates on me, like sunlight focused through a magnifying glass; their whispers, their little sniggers, were even worse, each a tiny dagger in my back.
Fiction book (1997) -
When Hagerty heaped glowing praise on the at best mediocre offerings of the chain restaurant, instead of drawing sniggers, she got equally glowing praise heaped right back at her.
Blog text (29) -
Amid the serious discussion, a snigger erupted from the back of the room.
-
The child's snigger made it clear he found the situation amusing.
Synonyms
33
4.5
A quiet, partly hidden laugh that shows disrespect
Antonyms
How Loud
Surface Forms
Etymology
Snigger comes from old words that copy the small sound of a quiet laugh, like snick or snicker. A helpful way to remember it is that a snigger is a 'quiet, sly laugh' often used to laugh at someone.