snivel
/'snivl/
Definition
Noun:
- The act of breathing heavily through the nose (as when congested): The audible sound of mucus moving in the nose, often when crying or having a cold.
- Whining in a tearful manner: Complaining or crying in a weak, self-pitying way.
Verb:
- To cry or whine with snuffling: To cry and sniffle in a way that is considered annoying or self-pitying.
- To snuff up mucus through the nose: To sniffle or draw mucus back up the nose, especially audibly.
- To talk in a tearful, complaining manner: To speak while crying or whining, often to gain sympathy.
Usage Examples
Noun:
- I could hear the child's snivel from the other room.
- His apology was just a pathetic snivel.
Verb:
- The toddler began to snivel after he dropped his toy.
- "Stop snivelling," she said, "and tell me what really happened."
- He was sniveling from the cold, his nose running.
Advanced Usage
- "to snivel about something": to complain tearfully about a situation.
- He spent the afternoon sniveling about his unfair treatment.
Variants and Related Words
- Sniveler (noun): A person who snivels; a whiner.
- Don't be such a sniveler; face the problem.
Synonyms
- Whine: To complain in a feeble or petulant way.
- Blubber: To cry noisily and uncontrollably.
- Snuffle: To breathe noisily through a partially blocked nose.
Related Phrasal Verbs/Constructions
(This word does not commonly form phrasal verbs. Its meaning is typically expressed directly.)
Related Idioms
- "To turn on the waterworks": This idiom means to start crying, often deliberately to gain sympathy, which is similar to the insincere crying implied by "snivel."
- She turned on the waterworks when she was told she couldn't go out, but I knew she was just sniveling.
Noun
-
the act of breathing heavily through the nose (as when the nose is congested)
-
whining in a tearful manner
Verb
-
cry or whine with snuffling
-
Stop snivelling--you got yourself into this mess!
-
-
snuff up mucus through the nose
-
talk in a tearful manner
