I need a more mainstream replacement for the noun snark

Question

I'm looking for a replacement for the noun "snark". Sarcasm won't work because it's a form of humor and I want to add a suggestion of malice or darkness to it.

For example, as a response to a request to include a quote within an answer avoid a "link-only" situation, an author added the following to indicate passages that contained the word:

1: [...] horsepower [...]

2: [...] horsepower [...]

3: [...] horsepower [...]

By quoting only the single word from the passage rather than a sentence or so and repeating the same three times, the author pretends to expand beyond link-only but fails by design.

So while pretense comes to mind, it's also not dark enough. Spite is a bit strong. The idea here was to respond by following the letter of the request but not in spirit, perhaps to mock it.

Answer 1

By quoting only the single word from the passage rather than a sentence or so and repeating the same three times, the author pretends to expand beyond link-only but fails by design.

The bolded text is often described as malicious compliance.

From Wikipedia's article on malicious compliance,

Malicious compliance is the behaviour of intentionally inflicting harm by strictly following the orders of a superior knowing that compliance with the orders will not have the intended result. The term usually implies the following of an order in such a way that ignores the order's intent but follows it to the letter.[1]

It is a specialized form of passive aggressive behavior. This is sometimes called "work to rule" and encompasses the situation where the subordinate sees both the folly of the order, rule, or direction and the adverse results.[2]

Although ,in the example you described, suggesting the action was done to cause real harm is probably a stretch, it ticks enough of the boxes to work in my experience.