snarl

C2+ Topic:Communication

Also spelled snar

US /snɑrl/ UK /snɑːl/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

verb
to growl with bared teeth, or to speak angrily

The dog began to snarl at the approaching stranger.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to growl with bared teeth,... growl gnarl grumble snap bark

Opposites

coo purr soothe

Word family

Derived forms snarlersnarlingsnarly

Etymology

From earlier snar ('to growl'), of Low German origin (compare Middle Low German and Dutch snarren 'to rattle, growl'), of imitative origin, with the frequentative suffix -l.

snarren Middle Low German

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Communication

External links

# snarl

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /snɑrl/
**IPA (UK):** /snɑːl/

## Meanings
1. to growl with bared teeth, or to speak angrily

## Examples
- The dog began to snarl at the approaching stranger.

## Synonyms
- growl
- gnarl
- grumble
- snap
- bark

## Antonyms
- coo
- purr
- soothe

## Derived Forms
- snarler
- snarling
- snarly

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: snarren

## Etymology
From earlier snar ('to growl'), of Low German origin (compare Middle Low German and Dutch snarren 'to rattle, growl'), of imitative origin, with the frequentative suffix -l.

## AI Etymology
Snarl comes from earlier snar ('to growl'), of Low German origin (compare Middle Low German and Dutch snarren 'to rattle, growl'), of imitative origin, with the frequentative suffix -l. The historical trail runs through Middle Low German snarren. In modern use it means to growl with bared teeth, or to speak angrily. Derived formations include snarler, snarling, snarly.

## Topics
- Communication

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