sniggering
Quiet mocking laughter
Sniggering is laughing in a half-suppressed, often derisive way—the kind of quiet laughter that suggests mockery or shared amusement at someone else's expense: The boys were sniggering at the back of the classroom.
More common in British English; Americans typically say snickering.
The word implies laughter you're trying to hide but not very hard.
Stifled, scornful laughter
- titteringNervous, restrained laughter
- gigglingLaughing in short bursts
- smirkingSmiling with smugness
- derisionContemptuous mockery
ridicule · scorn · taunting · jeering · sneering · mocking · contempt · mean-spirited
Forcibly held in
- muffledMade quieter, less distinct
- chokingBlocked airway condition
- burstingBreaking from internal pressure
- inappropriateNot suitable or fitting
funeral · classroom · library · church · meeting · silent · spluttering · snorting
Oblique disparaging remark
- double-entendreWords with suggestive second meaning
- naughtyMildly disobedient
- immatureNot fully developed
- schoolboyMale student, typically young
puerile · Beavis · suggestive · snickering · wink-wink · adolescent · locker-room · childish
snickering
Stifled, scornful laughter
derision · ridicule · scorn · taunting · jeering · sneering · mocking · contempt · mean-spirited · bullying
stifled
Forcibly held in
- muffledMade quieter, less distinct
- chokingBlocked airway condition
- burstingBreaking from internal pressure
inappropriate · funeral · classroom · library · church · meeting · silent · spluttering · snorting · composure
innuendo
Oblique disparaging remark
- double-entendreWords with suggestive second meaning
- naughtyMildly disobedient
- immatureNot fully developed
schoolboy · puerile · Beavis · suggestive · snickering · wink-wink · adolescent · locker-room · childish · giggly
sniggeringapplauding
Expressing approval vocally
praising · encouraging · supporting · respecting · cheering on