Dictionary Definition
snarl
Noun
1 a vicious angry growl
2 an angry vicious expression
Verb
1 utter in an angry, sharp, or abrupt tone; "The
sales clerky snapped a reply at the angry customer"; "The guard
snarled at us" [syn: snap]
2 make a snarling noise or move with a snarling
noise; "Bullets snarled past us"
3 twist together or entwine into a confusing
mass; "The child entangled the cord" [syn: entangle, tangle, mat] [ant: disentangle, disentangle]
User Contributed Dictionary
Noun
- A knot or complication of hair, thread, or the like, difficult to disentangle; entanglement; hence, intricate complication; embarrassing difficulty.
- The act of snarling; a growl; a surly or peevish expression; an angry contention.
Translations
knot or complication of hair, thread, or the
like, difficult to disentangle
act of snarling
Verb
- To form raised work upon the outer surface of (thin metal ware) by the repercussion of a snarling iron upon the inner surface.
- To entangle; to complicate; to involve in knots; as, to snarl a skein of thread.
- To embarrass; to insnare.
- To growl, as an angry or surly dog; to gnarl; to utter grumbling sounds.
- To speak crossly; to talk in rude, surly terms.
Antonyms
Translations
To form raised work upon the outer surface
of
To embarrass
Extensive Definition
A snarl is a facial
expression, where the upper lip is raised, and the nostrils
widen, generally indicating hate, anger or pain. In addition to humans, other mammals including monkeys and dogs snarl, often to warn others of
their potential bite. In humans, snarling uses the
levator labii superioris alaeque nasi muscle. Snarling is often
accompanied by or used synonymously with threatening vocalizations (it may also
be used as an onomatopoeia for a
threatening noise, as in the 'snarl' of a chainsaw). The atrophy of
this muscle with age makes sometime a symmetrical or asymmetrical
Alar vertical retraction and accentuates the "tear trough. Then the
nose looks always bigger when we age.
snarl in Italian: Brontolìo
Synonyms, Antonyms and Related Words
Chinese puzzle, Gordian knot, Rube Goldberg
contraption, allure,
altercation,
argument, ataxia, bait the hook, ball up,
bark, bawl, belch, bellow, bicker, birdlime, blare, blat, blood feud, blubber, boom, brawl, bray, breathe, broil, burden, burr, buzz, cackle, can of worms, catch, catch out, caw, chant, chaos, chirp, chirr, clang, clangor, clank, clash, clutter, color, complex, complexity, complicate, complication, confound, confuse, contention, controversy, coo, cramp, craunch, cripple, croak, crow, crump, crunch, cumber, decoy, difficulty, dilemma, disarray, disorder, dispute, donnybrook, donnybrook fair,
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up, lower, lumber, lure, mantle, maze, meander, mesh, mess, mess up, mishmash, mix up, moan, morass, moue, mow, muck up, muddle, mumble, murmur, mutter, net, noose, open quarrel, pant, perplex, pickle, pipe, polemic, pout, predicament, press down,
problem, quandary, quarrel, ramify, rasp, ravel, redden, rictus, roar, rumble, saddle with, scowl, scramble, scranch, scrape, scratch, scream, screech, screw up, scrunch, shackle, sharp words, shriek, sibilate, sigh, sing, skein, slanging match, snafu, snag, snake pit, snap, snare, snarl up, sniggle, snore, snort, sob, sough, spat, spit, spread the toils, squabble, squall, squawk, squeal, strife, swarm, tangle, tangled skein, thunder, tiff, tight spot, toil, topsy-turviness, trammel, trap, trip, trumpet, tussle, twang, twist, vendetta, wail, warble, web, webwork, weigh down, wheels
within wheels, whine,
whisper, whistle, wilderness, wind, words, wrangle, wry face, wry mouth,
yap, yawp, yell, yelp