smirk

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• Received-Pronunciation: /smɜːk/
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• Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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• General-American: /smɝk/
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• rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)k
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• CMU ARPABET: S M ER1 K Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
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From Middle English smirken, from Old English smearcian (“to smile”), corresponding to smerian + -cian (English -k; compare talk and stalk from, respectively, tell and steal). The former element from Proto-Germanic *smarōną (“to mock, scoff at”), and the latter from Proto-Germanic *-kōną. Compare Middle High German smielen/smieren (“to smile”) ( > obsolete, rare German schmieren). Doublet of smile. The specific meaning of a mocking or unpleasant, malicious smile or grin develops in Early Modern English, but until the 18th century, it could still be used to describe a generic smile.

50 source translations are retained for this English entry.

• Arabic: إِهْلَاس (ʔihlās) — smile that is insolent, offensively self-satisfied or scornful
• Bulgarian: престорена усмивка (prestorena usmivka) — smile that is insolent, offensively self-satisfied or scornful
• Czech: úšklebek — smile that is insolent, offensively self-satisfied or scornful
• Dutch: grijnslach — smile that is insolent, offensively self-satisfied or scornful
• Finnish: virne — smile that is insolent, offensively self-satisfied or scornful
• Finnish: virnistys — smile that is insolent, offensively self-satisfied or scornful
• Finnish: omahyväinen hymy — smile that is insolent, offensively self-satisfied or scornful
• French: sourire en coin — smile that is insolent, offensively self-satisfied or scornful
• French: ricanerie — smile that is insolent, offensively self-satisfied or scornful
• German: Geschmunzel — smile that is insolent, offensively self-satisfied or scornful
• Hungarian: bazsalygás — smile that is insolent, offensively self-satisfied or scornful
• Hungarian: somolygás — smile that is insolent, offensively self-satisfied or scornful
• Irish: leamh-mheangadh — smile that is insolent, offensively self-satisfied or scornful
• Irish: straois — smile that is insolent, offensively self-satisfied or scornful
• Irish: streill — smile that is insolent, offensively self-satisfied or scornful
• Irish: siotgháire — smile that is insolent, offensively self-satisfied or scornful
• Italian: smorfia — smile that is insolent, offensively self-satisfied or scornful
• Italian: sorrisetto — smile that is insolent, offensively self-satisfied or scornful
• Russian: ухмы́лка (uxmýlka) — smile that is insolent, offensively self-satisfied or scornful
• Serbo-Croatian: кес — smile that is insolent, offensively self-satisfied or scornful
• Serbo-Croatian: kes — smile that is insolent, offensively self-satisfied or scornful
• Slovak: úškrn — smile that is insolent, offensively self-satisfied or scornful
• Spanish: sonrisita — smile that is insolent, offensively self-satisfied or scornful
• Spanish: mueca — smile that is insolent, offensively self-satisfied or scornful
• Spanish: sonrisa complacida / satisfecha — smile that is insolent, offensively self-satisfied or scornful
• Ukrainian: по́смішка (pósmiška) — smile that is insolent, offensively self-satisfied or scornful
• Welsh: cilwen — smile that is insolent, offensively self-satisfied or scornful
• Bulgarian: подсмихвам се (podsmihvam se) — to smile in a way that is affected, smug, insolent or contemptuous
• Czech: ušklíbnout se — to smile in a way that is affected, smug, insolent or contemptuous
• Dutch: grijnzen — to smile in a way that is affected, smug, insolent or contemptuous
• Dutch: meesmuilen — to smile in a way that is affected, smug, insolent or contemptuous
• Esperanto: rideti — to smile in a way that is affected, smug, insolent or contemptuous
• Finnish: virnistää — to smile in a way that is affected, smug, insolent or contemptuous
• Finnish: hymyillä omahyväisesti — to smile in a way that is affected, smug, insolent or contemptuous
• French: ricaner — to smile in a way that is affected, smug, insolent or contemptuous
• German: grinsen — to smile in a way that is affected, smug, insolent or contemptuous
• German: feixen — to smile in a way that is affected, smug, insolent or contemptuous
• Hungarian: bazsalyog — to smile in a way that is affected, smug, insolent or contemptuous
• Hungarian: somolyog — to smile in a way that is affected, smug, insolent or contemptuous
• Ido: ridetar — to smile in a way that is affected, smug, insolent or contemptuous
• Italian: sogghignare — to smile in a way that is affected, smug, insolent or contemptuous
• Navajo: biniiʼ yiyoołdloh — to smile in a way that is affected, smug, insolent or contemptuous
• Russian: ухмыля́ться (uxmyljátʹsja) — to smile in a way that is affected, smug, insolent or contemptuous
• Russian: ухмыльну́ться (uxmylʹnútʹsja) — to smile in a way that is affected, smug, insolent or contemptuous
• Serbo-Croatian: ке́сити се — to smile in a way that is affected, smug, insolent or contemptuous
• Serbo-Croatian: kesiti se — to smile in a way that is affected, smug, insolent or contemptuous
• Spanish: sonreír con suficiencia — to smile in a way that is affected, smug, insolent or contemptuous
• Spanish: hacer una sonrisita — to smile in a way that is affected, smug, insolent or contemptuous
• Ukrainian: посміха́тися (posmixátysja) — to smile in a way that is affected, smug, insolent or contemptuous
• Ukrainian: посміхну́тися (posmixnútysja) — to smile in a way that is affected, smug, insolent or contemptuous