Smirky

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Wearing a self-satisfied, knowing smirk that suggests private amusement at someone else's expense
2. Displaying a smug grin that hints at a secret understanding or quiet mockery
3. Characterized by a sly, self-assured half-smile that seems to mock or take pleasure in others

Etymology: "Smirky" is simply "smirk" with the suffix "-y" added, and that suffix is one of the oldest and most productive in English. It descends from an Old English ending "-ig," which carried the sense "full of" or "having the quality of," so a word built on it describes something characterised by the base word. Adding it to "smirk" gives a way to describe a look or expression that carries the knowing, self-satisfied quality of a smirk. The base word "smirk" has a long history of its own. It traces back through Middle English to Old English roots, and its ancestors in Germanic languages reach back to forms that suggest a sense of smiling or grinning. The suffix "-y" then turned the noun into an adjective, a pattern English speakers have used for centuries to create descriptive words from nouns, as in "cloudy," "bumpy," or "grainy."

Synonyms: smirking, smug, smarmy, sneering