Smirking

Pronunciation: /ˈsmərkɪŋ/

Definitions of smirking

verb to smile in an irritatingly smug, conceited, or silly way

Example Sentences

A1 She was smirking at the funny joke.

A2 He couldn't help smirking when he saw his rival fail.

B1 The teacher caught the student smirking during the test.

B2 The politician was smirking during the debate, confident in his arguments.

C1 The detective's smirking expression hinted at his knowledge of the culprit.

C2 Despite the serious situation, she couldn't help smirking at the irony of it all.

Examples of smirking in a Sentence

formal The lawyer stood before the judge, smirking confidently as he presented his case.

informal She caught him smirking at her from across the room during the meeting.

slang I saw him smirking like he knew something we didn't.

figurative The painting seemed to come to life with the figure's smirking expression.

Grammatical Forms of smirking

• past tense: smirked
• plural: smirkers
• comparative: more smirking
• superlative: most smirking
• present tense: smirks
• future tense: will smirk
• perfect tense: have smirked
• continuous tense: is smirking
• singular: smirker
• positive degree: smirk
• infinitive: to smirk
• gerund: smirking
• participle: smirking

Origin and Evolution of smirking

First Known Use: 1550 year

Language of Origin: Middle Low German

Story behind the word: The word 'smirking' is believed to have originated from the Middle Low German word 'smirken' which means to smile or smirk in a self-satisfied or mocking way.

Evolution of the word: Over time, the word 'smirking' has retained its original meaning of a self-satisfied or mocking smile, but it has also developed connotations of arrogance or insincerity in modern usage.