Snub
/snʌb/noun
To rebuff, ignore, or treat someone with deliberate disrespect.
Did you know?The exact origin of *snub* is uncertain, but it very likely began as a dialect word meaning “to check, curb, or keep short,” which fits its later social sense of abruptly cutting someone off.
Etymological Timeline
Late 16th Century
English
snub
“To check, curb, or reprimand sharply; later, to treat with contempt by ignoring.”
16th Century
English dialect
snub
“To nip off or cut short; also to check or rebuke.”
Uncertain (possibly Scandinavian or Low German influence)
Germanic
snubben / snubben-like forms
“A possible source for the sense of checking, bumping, or treating roughly, though the origin is not securely established.”
18th Century
English
snub
“To slight or intentionally ignore someone in a socially insulting way.”
Modern English
English
snub
“To rebuff or treat with disdain, especially by deliberate neglect.”
Explore more surprising origins