snide

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/snaɪd/Northumbria/snɛɪd/

adjective

Disparaging or derisive in an insinuative way.

“Don't make snide remarks to me.”

UncommonScrabble 6

Meanings

adjectivesnide (comparative snider, superlative snidest)

comparative snider · superlative snidest

  1. Disparaging or derisive in an insinuative way.

    Don't make snide remarks to me.

    1 more example

    You write your snide bullshit from a dark room because that's what the angry do nowadays. I was nice to you, don't torture me for it.

    2010, Aaron Sorkin, The Social Network, spoken by Erica Albright (Rooney Mara)
  2. Tricky; deceptive; false; spurious; contemptible.

    I knew without studying them that the rings and the watch were snide, and the jewel a paste one; but they were damn fine counterfeits.

    2002, Sarah Waters, chapter 1, in Fingersmith, London: Virago, →ISBN, part 1, page 19
    1 more example

    Have nothing to do with snide goods; let it be known throughout the world that the farmers and dairymen, yea, and those engaged in other industries in the great State of Illinois, produce only the best of everything in their lines, and we will be the last to feel the effects of over-production.

    1890, Illinois State Dairymen's Association, Annual Report (volume 16, page 21)
nounsnide (countable and uncountable, plural snides)

plural snides

  1. countableAn underhanded, tricky person given to sharp practice; a sharper; a cheat.
  2. uncountableCounterfeit money.

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectiveexpressive of contempt

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Middle Englishsnythand“piercing (the heart), cold, biting”
  2. Englishsnide

Probably from a dialectal variant of snithe (“sharp, cutting, cold”). See snithe (adjective). Alternatively, possibly a metathetic corruption of Middle English snythand (“piercing (the heart), cold, biting”, literally and figuratively). More at snithe (verb). Compare typologically cutting, Russian ко́лкий (kólkij) (akin to коло́ть (kolótʹ)).

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian подигравателен, измамен
  • подигравателен (podigravatelen)nasty, sarcastic
  • измамен (izmamen)tricky, deceptive
  • фалшив (falšiv)tricky, deceptive
Catalan sorneguer
  • sorneguernasty, sarcastic
Czech jízlivý, uštěpačný
  • jízlivýnasty, sarcastic
  • uštěpačnýnasty, sarcastic
  • posměšnýnasty, sarcastic
Danish spydig, drilsk
  • spydignasty, sarcastic
  • drilsknasty, sarcastic
  • nedladendenasty, sarcastic
  • sarkastisknasty, sarcastic
Dutch sarcastisch, snedig
  • sarcastischnasty, sarcastic
  • snedignasty, sarcastic
  • heimelijktricky, deceptive
  • bedrieglijktricky, deceptive
Finnish vihjaileva, ilkeämielinen
  • vihjailevanasty, sarcastic
  • ilkeämielinennasty, sarcastic
French sarcastique, trompeur
  • sarcastiquenasty, sarcastic
  • trompeurtricky, deceptive
German abfällig, verächtlich
  • abfällignasty, sarcastic
  • verächtlichnasty, sarcastic
  • herabsetzendnasty, sarcastic
  • spöttischnasty, sarcastic
  • betrügerischtricky, deceptive
Hungarian rosszindulatú, bántó
  • rosszindulatúnasty, sarcastic
  • bántónasty, sarcastic
  • becsmérlőnasty, sarcastic
  • gúnyosnasty, sarcastic
  • gunyorosnasty, sarcastic
  • szarkasztikusnasty, sarcastic
  • becstelentricky, deceptive
  • tisztességtelentricky, deceptive
  • csalótricky, deceptive
  • hamistricky, deceptive
Icelandic illkvittinn, meinhæðinn
  • illkvittinnnasty, sarcastic
  • meinhæðinnnasty, sarcastic
  • fyrirlítanlegurtricky, deceptive
Italian sarcastico, derisorio
  • sarcasticonasty, sarcastic
  • derisorionasty, sarcastic
  • sprezzantenasty, sarcastic
  • schernevolenasty, sarcastic
Māori whakatīkai, whakatakē
  • whakatīkainasty, sarcastic
  • whakatakēnasty, sarcastic
Portuguese sarcástico
  • sarcásticonasty, sarcastic
Russian глумли́вый, насме́шливый
  • глумли́вый (glumlívyj)nasty, sarcastic
  • насме́шливый (nasméšlivyj)nasty, sarcastic
  • язвительный (jazvitelʹnyj)nasty, sarcastic
  • обма́нчивый (obmánčivyj)tricky, deceptive
Spanish socarrón
  • socarrónnasty, sarcastic
Swedish spydig, nedsättande
  • spydignasty, sarcastic
  • nedsättandenasty, sarcastic
  • insinuantnasty, sarcastic
Welsh coeglyd, gwawdlyd
  • coeglydnasty, sarcastic
  • gwawdlydnasty, sarcastic

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with snide

All rhymes →

Anagrams

Cite this entry
APA

snide. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/snide

MLA

“snide.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/snide. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “snide,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/snide.

Source: snide on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.