as in grimacing
to smile in an unpleasant way because you are pleased with yourself, glad about someone else's trouble, etc.
She tried not to smirk when they announced the winner.
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Recent Examples of smirking
He was seen smirking in the courtroom, at times laughing, as prosecutors laid out their case for him to be detained.
—
Sabrina Franza, CBS News, 30 Apr. 2026
Something of a Hurley whisperer, who is there to translate what the coach wants – minus the additional adjectives – for his teammates, usually sitting and smirking while Hurley riffs on the grievance of the day.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 2 Apr. 2026
Standing above it all is Elijah Wood as the Council lawyer, who seems to be silently smirking at everything that happens, which is not an inappropriate response.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 14 Mar. 2026
Some American viewers were pulled into it by a boring—and slightly embarrassing—poster of Harrison Ford, smirking in a suit, while a loyal Melanie Griffith clings to his shoulder and Sigourney Weaver, as befits her role of nemesis, gives a wicked smile.
—Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 16 Feb. 2026
Ibeh took a somewhat confused, smirking glance at Miller as the two retreated to their corners.
—Matt Moret, New York Times, 1 Feb. 2026
Linda Liddle is an office workhorse who has spent her career trying to get ahead by working late and grinding out quarterly reports through lunch at her desk, only to see the credit stolen by whatever smirking golf buddy has leapfrogged her up the corporate ladder.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 30 Jan. 2026
The Poets smirking at us in the garden, their coats blowing open like bat wings.
—Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2025
And Jules raises his hand, kind of smirking already.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 20 Sep. 2025
Sabrina Franza, CBS News, 30 Apr. 2026
Something of a Hurley whisperer, who is there to translate what the coach wants – minus the additional adjectives – for his teammates, usually sitting and smirking while Hurley riffs on the grievance of the day.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 2 Apr. 2026
Standing above it all is Elijah Wood as the Council lawyer, who seems to be silently smirking at everything that happens, which is not an inappropriate response.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 14 Mar. 2026
Some American viewers were pulled into it by a boring—and slightly embarrassing—poster of Harrison Ford, smirking in a suit, while a loyal Melanie Griffith clings to his shoulder and Sigourney Weaver, as befits her role of nemesis, gives a wicked smile.
—Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 16 Feb. 2026
Ibeh took a somewhat confused, smirking glance at Miller as the two retreated to their corners.
—Matt Moret, New York Times, 1 Feb. 2026
Linda Liddle is an office workhorse who has spent her career trying to get ahead by working late and grinding out quarterly reports through lunch at her desk, only to see the credit stolen by whatever smirking golf buddy has leapfrogged her up the corporate ladder.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 30 Jan. 2026
The Poets smirking at us in the garden, their coats blowing open like bat wings.
—Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2025
And Jules raises his hand, kind of smirking already.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 20 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smirking
Verb
-
The fifth-year senior also was seen grimacing in pain during the game.—
Danny Davis,
Austin American Statesman,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Mark scored 29 for the Longhorns, grimacing and clearly in pain limping on his injured leg through the closing minutes when the sixth-year senior’s team needed him most.—
Janie McCauley,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
That's a lot of late nights and early mornings staring at the sky.—
Paul Sutter,
Space.com,
25 Apr. 2026
-
What Jaafar does amounts to an elaborate impression instead of an interpretation, re-creating the voice and the famous choreography and otherwise staring blankly into the middle distance when called upon to transmit emotions.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
My sister was scowling and pacing the path outside my mother’s flat.—
Douglas Stuart,
New Yorker,
12 Apr. 2026
-
He was picked up first on meth charges on May 14, 1986, according to news reports and a San Francisco police booking photo, which shows him in a blue hoodie scowling into the camera.—
Senior Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Woods, 50, is seen frowning in the photo, taken shortly after the legendary golfer was booked into jail on March 27 after his Land Rover rolled over in Jupiter Island, Florida.—
Natasha Dye,
PEOPLE,
3 Apr. 2026
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Hubbard posted an image of herself with a disgusted look on her face from earlier in Season 10, while Dillard shared a photo of himself frowning, also from a scene in the show.—
Payton Turkeltaub,
Variety,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Some people will probably be pouting in those debriefs.—
Jeff Gluck,
New York Times,
12 Mar. 2026
-
My introduction to Peters came late last year, when Instagram’s algorithm served me a video of him wearing a baseball cap, primping and pouting for the camera.—
Thomas Chatterton Williams,
The Atlantic,
19 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Smirking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smirking. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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