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snarky (adj.)
"irritable, short-tempered," 1906, from snark (v.) "to find fault with, nag" (1882), literally "to snort" (1866), which is from an imitative source. Compare Low German snarken, North Frisian snarke, Swedish snarka; also compare snarl (v.2) and sneer (v.). Also compare narky "bad-tempered, sarcastic" (1895), British slang from earlier nark "annoying, quarrelsome, or unpleasant person" (1846), from nark (q.v.).
It seems to have emerged anew as a vogue word c. 1997 to indicate " said or written in a hostile, knowing, bitter tone of contempt." The back-formation snark (n.) "caustic, opinionated, and critical rhetoric" is by c. 2002. Related: Snarkily; snarkiness.
updated on February 02, 2023
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