Snides

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Characterized by a tone of disdain or sarcasm, often subtly ridiculing someone or something; involving remarks that convey contempt without direct aggression; expressing criticism in a sneering or mocking manner that may go unnoticed at first glance
2. Marked by a negative or derisive attitude, especially when critiquing someone in a backhanded or clever way; consisting of comments that are both clever and betraying an underlying contempt; featuring an undertone of irony or sarcasm that cuts sharply without overt offense
3. Defined by cutting remarks that imply superiority or disdain, especially if cloaked in wit; containing hints of mockery that serve to undermine the subject's worth; bearing an air of superiority through pointedly clever yet biting observations

Etymology: "Snides" is the plural of "snide," an adjective that has also been used as a noun, and its origins are murky. The most likely source is a dialectal variant of "snithe," an older English word meaning sharp, cutting, or cold, and the sense of biting coldness fits the modern meaning of a remark that wounds while seeming clever. A less certain possibility is that "snide" is a metathetic corruption of Middle English "snythand," meaning piercing, especially of the heart, and cold or biting in both literal and figurative senses. In that case the word would carry the image of something that stabs. The same metaphor of a cutting edge turns up in other languages. Russian "kólkij," meaning sharp or prickly in a biting way, is related to the verb "kolótʹ," to pierce or stab, showing how readily speakers describe unkind words as weapons.

Synonyms: insinuations, sneers, taunts, jeers, derisions

Antonyms: compliments, praises, flatteries, amplifications, approvals