chortling
Snorting with amusement
Chortling is laughing in a breathy, gleeful way—a chortle blends a chuckle with a snort.
The word was coined by Lewis Carroll in *Through the Looking-Glass*, where the hero slays the Jabberwock and comes "chortling" back.
It suggests smug or self-satisfied amusement: He sat chortling over his rival's misfortune.
Laughing in short bursts
- snickeringStifled, scornful laughter
- cacklingHarsh, staccato laughter
- guffawingLaughing boisterously
- snortingNoisy nasal exhalation
tittering · chuckling · gleeful · mirthful · belly laugh · hearty · convulsive · uncontrollable
- JabberwockyInvented meaningless language
- portmanteauWord combining two others
- whimsicalPlayfully fanciful or erratic
- nonsenseMeaningless words or actions
Victorian · playful · invented · neologism · fantastical · absurdist · wordplay · onomatopoeia
Smug triumph display
- self-satisfiedSmugly pleased with oneself
- triumphantJoyfully victorious
- smirkingSmiling with smugness
- sneeringExpressing scorn facially
schadenfreude · preening · boastful · crowing · relishing · reveling · vindicated · superior
giggling
Laughing in short bursts
- snickeringStifled, scornful laughter
- cacklingHarsh, staccato laughter
- guffawingLaughing boisterously
snorting · tittering · chuckling · gleeful · mirthful · belly laugh · hearty · convulsive · uncontrollable · infectious
Lewis Carroll
- JabberwockyInvented meaningless language
- portmanteauWord combining two others
- whimsicalPlayfully fanciful or erratic
nonsense · Victorian · playful · invented · neologism · fantastical · absurdist · wordplay · onomatopoeia · expressive
gloating
Smug triumph display
- self-satisfiedSmugly pleased with oneself
- triumphantJoyfully victorious
- smirkingSmiling with smugness
sneering · schadenfreude · preening · boastful · crowing · relishing · reveling · vindicated · superior · mocking