Translation guide
Expressing contempt, scorn, or mockery toward someone or something, often with a facial expression or tone of voice.
To speak to or about someone with open contempt, often in a mocking or belittling way.
To sneer at or mock someone openly, often with laughter or derision. Can be used for both verbal and non-verbal sneering.
He sneered at my proposal.
To sneer at or ridicule someone, often with a sharp tone. Slightly more literary than 嘲笑う.
She sneered at his failure.
Literally 'laugh through the nose,' meaning to sneer or scoff at someone. Very common in spoken Japanese.
He sneered at my efforts.
To sneer or laugh coldly at someone. More formal and often used in writing.
He sneered at the idea.
To make a facial expression that shows scorn or disgust, often without words.
To sneer or smirk contemptuously. Often implies a silent, mocking smile.
He sneered at me.
To put on a faint, scornful smile; to sneer subtly. Often used in narrative descriptions.
To twist one's mouth in a sneer. Descriptive and often used in literature.
He sneered, twisting his mouth.
To regard something as unworthy or beneath consideration, often with a sneering attitude.
To look down on someone or something; to despise. Often implies a sneering attitude of superiority.
He always sneers at other people.
To scorn or despise. Stronger than 見下す, often used for moral contempt.
She sneered at his behavior.
To make fun of or treat someone as a fool. Very common in casual speech.
There is no single Japanese verb that perfectly matches 'sneer at' in all contexts. Choose the expression based on whether the sneering is verbal, facial, or attitudinal. Using 嘲笑う or 鼻で笑う covers most cases.
He sneered at my failure.
嘲笑う (あざわらう) is the most common and versatile for sneering with laughter or words. 嘲る (あざける) is slightly more literary and sharp. 冷笑する (れいしょうする) is formal and implies cold, silent contempt.
He sneered at me with a faint smile.
彼は私の夢を馬鹿にした。
He sneered at my dream.