sardonic

adjective

sar·​don·​ic sär-ˈdä-nik How to pronounce sardonic (audio)
: disdainfully or skeptically humorous : derisively mocking
a sardonic comment
sardonically adverb
Choose the Right Synonym for sardonic

sarcastic, satiric, ironic, sardonic mean marked by bitterness and a power or will to cut or sting.

sarcastic implies an intentional inflicting of pain by deriding, taunting, or ridiculing.

a critic known for his sarcastic remarks

satiric implies that the intent of the ridiculing is censure and reprobation.

a satiric look at contemporary society

ironic implies an attempt to be amusing or provocative by saying usually the opposite of what is meant.

made the ironic observation that the government could always be trusted

sardonic implies scorn, mockery, or derision that is manifested by either verbal or facial expression.

surveyed the scene with a sardonic smile

Examples of sardonic in a Sentence

"The Great War," used interchangeably with "the First World War" (so named in 1918 by a sardonic English journalist, who knew it would not be the last such conflict) … Benjamin Schwarz, Atlantic, May 1999
They have that brand of sardonic humor special to people up against it: black and wry and shocking … Doris Lessing, New Yorker, 16 Mar. 1987
In a story by Flaubert, this spreading of cloths to save the carpet would be observed with a sardonic eye; in Lawrence it is bleakly practical. Hugh Kenner, A Sinking Island, 1987
The movie is a sardonic look at modern life. a sardonic little jab that made her visitor quiet and subdued for the rest of the night
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Burns’ cyclical, sardonic prose underscores the unnamed narrator’s defenselessness against neighborhood gossip that marks the Milkman’s unwanted attentions as consensual. Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2025 Buy Now 06 of 14 'The Chosen and the Beautiful' by Nghi Vo Daisy’s longtime friend and sardonic golf-playing flapper Jordan Baker is a minor character in The Great Gatsby. Danielle Teller, People.com, 10 Apr. 2025 Til Schweiger plays a sardonic whale-tourism boat captain (and former elite military operative, obviously) who gets roped into taking down a clandestine organization that’s building the perfect super-soldier through genetic experiments. Jordan Crucchiola, Vulture, 4 Apr. 2025 Following the party, viewers will plunge further into the sardonic story with a special Q&A featuring executive producers Charlie Brooker and Jessica Rhoades. Jeff Spry, Space.com, 3 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for sardonic

Word History

Etymology

re-formation, with the suffix -ic entry 1, of earlier sardonian, from Greek sardónios, alteration (after Sardónios "Sardinian") of earlier sardánios "(of laughter or smiling) bitter, scornful" (of obscure origin) + -an entry 2

First Known Use

1638, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of sardonic was in 1638

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Sardonic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sardonic. Accessed 26 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

sardonic

adjective
sar·​don·​ic sär-ˈdän-ik How to pronounce sardonic (audio)
sardonically adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on sardonic

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