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simper

simper [sim-per] SynonymsExamplesWord Origin verb (used without object)

to smile in a silly, self-conscious way.

verb (used with object)

to say with a simper.

noun

a silly, self-conscious smile.

Origin of simper 1555–65; akin to Middle Dutch zimperlijc, dialectal Danish simper affected, Danish sippe affected woman, orig. one who sips (see sip), a way of drinking thought to be affectedRelated formssim·per·er, nounsim·per·ing·ly, adverbun·sim·per·ing, adjectiveSynonyms for simper 1, 3. smirk, snigger, snicker. Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019 Related Words for simpered sneer, smirk, leer, grin, beam Examples from the Web for simpered Historical Examples of simpered

She hesitated a moment; then she simpered the least bit and bridled.

The Madonna of the Future

Henry James

Jupillon smiled internally, and simpered and sneered externally.

Germinie Lacerteux

Edmond and Jules de Goncourt

Mrs Broadbent simpered a little and put her head on one side.

Black, White and Gray

Amy Walton

“You know they say a cat may look at a king,” Miss Kitty simpered.

The Tale of Miss Kitty Cat

Arthur Scott Bailey

But to stand by all day and be simpered to, and even cringed to, was galling in the extreme.

My Friend Smith

Talbot Baines Reed

British Dictionary definitions for simpered simper verb

(intr) to smile coyly, affectedly, or in a silly self-conscious way
(tr) to utter (something) in a simpering manner

noun

a simpering smile; smirk

Derived Formssimperer, nounsimpering, adjective, nounsimperingly, adverbWord Origin for simper C16: probably from Dutch simper affected Collins English Dictionary – Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 Word Origin and History for simpered simper v.

1560s, “to smile in an affected and silly way,” perhaps from a Scandinavian source (e.g. dialectal Danish semper “affected, coy, prudish”) or Middle Dutch zimperlijk “affected, coy, prim,” of unknown origin. Related: Simpered; simpering. As a noun, 1590s, from the verb.