snide
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Bad, spurious, contemptible. As, "a SNIDE fellow," "SNIDE coin," &c. Also used as a substantive, as, "He’s a SNIDE," though this seems but a contraction of SNIDE ’UN.
Era: ca. 1874 (Victorian)
Where it’s used:
Origin
British & Irish English
Sources & notes
Historical definition reproduced from Hotten’s The Slang Dictionary (1874, public domain; Project Gutenberg #42108, retrieved 2026-07-31). Reflects the attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “snide” mean?
Bad, spurious, contemptible. As, "a SNIDE fellow," "SNIDE coin," &c. Also used as a substantive, as, "He’s a SNIDE," though this seems but a contraction of SNIDE ’UN.
Is “snide” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.