sardonic
adjective
sar·don·ic
sär-ˈdä-nik 
: disdainfully or skeptically humorous : derisively mocking
a sardonic comment
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
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
After showcasing a sardonic streak on SUCKERPUNCH, Moriondo lets the dark humor simmer on the track while the listener is urged to hum along.
—Jason Lipshutz, Billboard, 19 Feb. 2025
The black-and-white clip featured the late John Belushi, dressed as an old man, walking around a graveyard memorializing his co-stars with goofy, sardonic epitaphs; Belushi, of course, preceded most of them in death, giving the comedy a somber tone.
—Esther Zuckerman, The Atlantic, 17 Feb. 2025
The movie follows sardonic Indian American podcast host Vinita Malhotra (Kiran Deol) through romantic and familial reunions as her show celebrates its 100th episode.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 29 Jan. 2025
Frustrated by the surge of callers asking them to listen to demo tapes, the group recreated these messages for the song’s intro and outro, and turned their answering machine’s greeting into its sardonic refrain.
—Brendan Hay, SPIN, 28 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sardonic
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Jason Lipshutz, Billboard, 19 Feb. 2025
The black-and-white clip featured the late John Belushi, dressed as an old man, walking around a graveyard memorializing his co-stars with goofy, sardonic epitaphs; Belushi, of course, preceded most of them in death, giving the comedy a somber tone.
—Esther Zuckerman, The Atlantic, 17 Feb. 2025
The movie follows sardonic Indian American podcast host Vinita Malhotra (Kiran Deol) through romantic and familial reunions as her show celebrates its 100th episode.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 29 Jan. 2025
Frustrated by the surge of callers asking them to listen to demo tapes, the group recreated these messages for the song’s intro and outro, and turned their answering machine’s greeting into its sardonic refrain.
—Brendan Hay, SPIN, 28 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sardonic
Cite this Entry
“Sardonic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sardonic. Accessed 2 Mar. 2025.
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