Snide
adj, noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 An underhanded, tricky person given to sharp practice; a sharper; a cheat. countable
- 2 Counterfeit money. uncountable
- 1 Disparaging or derisive in an insinuative way.
"Don't make snide remarks to me."
- 2 Tricky; deceptive; false; spurious; contemptible.
"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."
- 1 expressive of contempt wordnet
Example
More examples"Don't let his snide remarks get the best of you."
Etymology
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)).
Related phrases
More for "snide"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.