snivel

1 of 2

verb

sniv·el ˈsni-vəl

sniveled or snivelled; sniveling or snivelling ˈsni-və-liŋ

ˈsniv-liŋ

Synonyms of snivel

intransitive verb

1

: to run at the nose

2

: to snuff mucus up the nose audibly : snuffle

3

: to cry or whine with snuffling

4

: to speak or act in a whining, sniffling, tearful, or weakly emotional manner

sniveler

ˈsni-və-lər

ˈsniv-lər

noun

snivel

2 of 2

noun

1

snivels plural, dialect : head cold

2

: an act of sniveling

Did you know?

There's never been anything pretty about sniveling. Snivel, which originally meant simply "to have a runny nose," has an Old English ancestor whose probable form was snyflan. Its lineage includes some other charming words of yore: an Old English word for mucus, snofl; the Middle Dutch word for a head cold, snof; the Old Norse word for snout, which is snoppa; and nan, a Greek verb meaning "to flow." Nowadays, we mostly use snivel as we have since the 1600s: when self-pitying whining is afoot, whether or not such sniveling is accompanied by unchecked nasal flow.

Examples of snivel in a Sentence

Verb millionaires sniveling about their financial problems “Woe is me,” she sniveled.

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Verb

But when Aurelius informs his son, Commodus (a sniveling Joaquin Phoenix), the latter murders his father before the decision is made public. —Lisa De Los Reyes, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Old English *snyflan; akin to Dutch snuffelen to snuffle, snuffen to sniff

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1600, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of snivel was in the 14th century

See more words from the same century

Browse Nearby Words

snitty

snivel

snively

See all Nearby Words

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Snivel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/snivel. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

snivel

verb

sniv·el

ˈsniv-əl

sniveled or snivelled; sniveling or snivelling

-(ə-)liŋ

1

: to draw mucus up the nose loud enough to be heard

2

: to cry or whine with sniffling

3

: to speak or act in a whining manner

sniveler

-(ə-)lər

noun

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