Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Mocking or derogatory in a malicious or ironic way.
  • adjective Making or given to making snide remarks.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A spurious object; a humbug; a fake; something designed to cheat.
  • Sharp; characterized by low cunning and sharp practice; tricky; also, false; spurious.
  • noun An underhanded, tricky person given to sharp practice; a sharper: a beat.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Slang, archaic Tricky; deceptive; contemptible
  • adjective derogatory in an insinuating manner.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Sharp.
  • adjective Characterised by low cunning and sharp practise.
  • adjective Disparaging or derisive in an insinuative way.
  • adjective Tricky; deceptive; false; spurious; contemptible.
  • noun An underhanded, tricky person given to sharp practise; a sharper; a beat.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective expressive of contempt

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Origin unknown.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From earlier snithe ("sharp, cutting"), from Middle English snith ("sharp"), from Middle English snithen ("to cut"), from Old English snīþan ("to cut, make an incision"), from Proto-Germanic *snīþanan (“to cut”), from Proto-Indo-European *sneyt- (“to cut”). More at snithe.

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Examples

  • Or, to be more snide, is that a Hutu or Tutsi village?

    Meeting at the fringes « BuzzMachine 2005

  • Your comments are so steeped in snide irony that you’re not really saying anything.

    Chick-lit strikes back 2009

  • This certainly has the MO of Labor party, namely a snide attempt to discredit the subject.

    Another Day Another Defection 2007

  • Though I've been inactive lately, I've been a member of this forum for enough time to know how to deal with "snide" folks like you.

    Morelia and more!! 2009

  • Though I've been inactive lately, I've been a member of this forum for enough time to know how to deal with "snide" folks like you.

    Morelia and more!! 2009

  • Though I've been inactive lately, I've been a member of this forum for enough time to know how to deal with "snide" folks like you.

    Morelia and more!! 2009

  • Though I've been inactive lately, I've been a member of this forum for enough time to know how to deal with "snide" folks like you.

    Morelia and more!! 2009

  • Though I've been inactive lately, I've been a member of this forum for enough time to know how to deal with "snide" folks like you.

    Morelia and more!! 2009

  • Though I've been inactive lately, I've been a member of this forum for enough time to know how to deal with "snide" folks like you.

    Morelia and more!! 2009

  • Though I've been inactive lately, I've been a member of this forum for enough time to know how to deal with "snide" folks like you.

    Morelia and more!! 2009

Comments

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  • British slang - counterfeit.

    October 4, 2008

  • could this also mean cutting; sarcastic? as in "she answered with yet another snide remark"

    October 18, 2008

  • No. Words can have but one meaning.

    October 18, 2008

  • *gigglesnort*

    October 19, 2008