Standard Lemma guide

snarky

adj · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • US: /ˈsnɑɹ.ki/
  • UK: /ˈsnɑː.ki/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɑː(ɹ)ki

1

adj

Meaning 1

Snide and sarcastic; usually out of irritation.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: humorous, informal, often

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Irritable, irritated.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: cranky

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From snark + -y; 1906, as “irritable”, from snark (“to snort”), by onomatopoeia (1866). Compare Low German snarken (“to snore”), North Frisian snarke, Swedish snarka. In the sense “sarcastic” popularized in the late 1990s.

Across languages

Translations

41 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Czech: jízlivý — sarcastic and irreverent
  • Dutch: sarcastisch — sarcastic and irreverent
  • Dutch: oneerbiedig — sarcastic and irreverent
  • Dutch: bijtend — sarcastic and irreverent
  • Dutch: grievend — sarcastic and irreverent
  • Faroese: argur — sarcastic and irreverent
  • Faroese: ilskur — sarcastic and irreverent
  • Faroese: bitutur — sarcastic and irreverent
  • Finnish: äkäinen — sarcastic and irreverent
  • Finnish: sarkastinen — sarcastic and irreverent
  • Finnish: vinoileva — sarcastic and irreverent
  • Galician: mordaz — sarcastic and irreverent
  • Galician: burleiro — sarcastic and irreverent
  • German: bissig — sarcastic and irreverent
  • German: spöttelnd — sarcastic and irreverent
  • German: sarkastisch — sarcastic and irreverent
  • German: beißend — sarcastic and irreverent
  • German: maliziös — sarcastic and irreverent
  • German: abfällig — sarcastic and irreverent
  • Greek: σαρκαστικός (sarkastikós) — sarcastic and irreverent
  • Greek: δηκτικός (diktikós) — sarcastic and irreverent
  • Hungarian: gúnyos — sarcastic and irreverent
  • Hungarian: gúnyolódó — sarcastic and irreverent
  • Hungarian: gunyoros — sarcastic and irreverent
  • Hungarian: becsmérlő — sarcastic and irreverent
  • Hungarian: bántó — sarcastic and irreverent
  • Hungarian: szarkasztikus — sarcastic and irreverent
  • Latin: dicax — sarcastic and irreverent
  • Lithuanian: kandus — sarcastic and irreverent
  • Polish: kąśliwy — sarcastic and irreverent
  • Polish: cięty — sarcastic and irreverent
  • Portuguese: debochado — sarcastic and irreverent
  • Portuguese: ranzinza — sarcastic and irreverent
  • Russian: е́дкий (jédkij) — sarcastic and irreverent
  • Russian: язви́тельный (jazvítelʹnyj) — sarcastic and irreverent
  • Russian: ехидный (jexidnyj) — sarcastic and irreverent
  • Russian: ко́лкий (kólkij) — sarcastic and irreverent
  • Spanish: mordaz — sarcastic and irreverent
  • Spanish: vivaracho — sarcastic and irreverent
  • Swedish: dryg — sarcastic and irreverent
  • Swedish: spydig — sarcastic and irreverent