snivel
snivel Lexical Profile
snivel Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To cry and sniffle simultaneously in a weak, tearful, or unappealing way.
"The exhausted toddler began to snivel quietly in the backseat after missing his afternoon nap."
To complain or whine in a tearful, cowardly, or self-pitying manner.
"Instead of working to solve the problem, he chose to snivel about how unfairly he had been treated."
To have a runny nose or draw up mucus audibly through the nostrils.
"Sitting in the drafty examination room, several patients continued to cough and snivel."
• noun
An act of crying, sniffling, or complaining in a weak, whining, or self-pitying manner.
"The manager had little patience for the constant snivel of employees who refused to take responsibility for their mistakes."
A discharge of mucus from the nose.
"The cold winter wind brought on a sudden snivel that made him reach for a handkerchief."
• Rhymes for snivel
Word Origin & Etymology
From Middle English snivelen, derived from Old English *snyflan ('to run at the nose'), related to snofl ('nasal mucus') and sharing a Germanic root with sniff and snuff.