snivel
Plural: snivels
Noun
- whining in a tearful manner
- the act of breathing heavily through the nose (as when the nose is congested)
- The act of snivelling.
- Nasal mucus; snot.
Verb
Verb Forms: sniveled, sniveling, snivels, snivelled, snivelling
- To cry or whine in a weak or tearful manner, often with sniffling.
- talk in a tearful manner
- snuff up mucus through the nose
- cry or whine with snuffling
- "Stop snivelling--you got yourself into this mess!"
- To breathe heavily through the nose while it is congested with nasal mucus.
- To cry while sniffling; to whine or complain while crying.
- To say (something) while sniffling or crying.
Examples
- Don’t SNIVEL about your low score; focus on your next Words With Friends turn.
Origin / Etymology
From Middle English snivelen, snevelen, snyvelen, snuvelen, from Old English *snyflan (attested in the verbal noun snyflung (“mucus”)), from Proto-West Germanic *snuflijan, related to Old English snofl (“mucus”), ultimately from the root of snout. Akin to sniff, snuff. Compare sniffle.
Cognate with Middle Low German snuffelen, snüffelen (“to sniff, smell”), Danish snøvle (“to sniffle, snivel”), Norwegian Nynorsk snuvla (“to sniffle, snivel”), Swedish snövla (“to sniffle, snivel”).
Compare typologically Russian сопе́ть (sopétʹ), сопля́ (sopljá) akinnes.
Synonyms
blub, blubber, sniffle, sniveling, snuffle, whine, beef, bellyache, bemoan, bitch, bleat, carp, chunter, complain, crab, croak, dump on, frine, girn, give out, gripe, grotch, grouch, grouse, grumble, grump, gruntle, harp, inveigh, kvetch, latrate, make a stink, moan, murmur, mutter, nag, nark, nudzh, pinch, piss and moan, rail, repine, ride, snivel, whinge
Scrabble Score: 9
snivel: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Wordsnivel: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
snivel: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary