Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- adj. Scornfully or cynically mocking. See Synonyms at sarcastic.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- Apparently but not really proceeding from gaiety; forced: said of a laugh or smile.
- Bitterly ironical; sarcastic; derisive and malignant; sneering: now the usual meaning.
Wiktionary
- adj. Scornfully mocking or cynical.
- adj. Disdainfully or ironically humorous.
GNU Webster's 1913
- adj. Forced; unnatural; insincere; hence, derisive, mocking, malignant, or bitterly sarcastic; -- applied only to a laugh, smile, or some facial semblance of gayety.
- adj. Of, pertaining to, or resembling, a kind of linen made at Colchis.
WordNet 3.0
- adj. disdainfully or ironically humorous; scornful and mocking
Etymologies
- French sardonique, from Latin sardonius, from Ancient Greek σαρδόνιος (sardonios), alternative form of σαρδάνιος (sardanios, "bitter or scornful laughter"), which is often cited as deriving from the Sardinian plant (Ranunculus sardous), known as either σαρδάνη (sardanē) or σαρδόνιον (sardonion). When eaten, it would cause the eater's face to contort in a look resembling scorn (generally followed by death). It might also be related to σαίρω (sairō, "I grin"). (Wiktionary)
- French sardonique, from Greek sardonios, alteration of sardanios. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“Leaning up against her wall, his arms and ankles crossed, his expression sardonic.”
“Nay, I will be bold to say that, if such a thing as that they call a sardonic or grinning laughter can happen to the mind, it is to be found in these artificial and crying laughters.”
“Ok, I didn't use the word sardonic with her, but I am now in the retelling. hahahahaha.”
“The doctor sat with one leg crossed, smoking a cigarette, his expression sardonic, sphinxlike.”
“(Indeed, the word sardonic itself is traced to the name given to a Sardinian plant, which, when eaten, was said to produce convulsive laughter ending in death.)”
“Glen Reynolds is characterized as being merely "sardonic" --- Atrios is something else, Kutz doesn't say what, apparently wanting to spare our innocent eyes from the beating the author gives him.”
“Let’s see, I think reckless/hot-tempered/sardonic is a little too much negativity.”
Superhero Nation: how to write superhero novels and comic books » Yogi’s Review Forum
“#54 – TP, any color will do — any color except one chosen by sardonic, that is.”
“There is a remarkable instance of this transference from the senses to the emotional feelings in the case of what is called sardonic laughter, in which a similar contortion of countenance to that caused by the pungency of a Sardinian herb is considered to denote a certain moral acerbity.”
History of English Humour, Vol. 1 (of 2) With an Introduction upon Ancient Humour
“I was going more for "sardonic" rather than "sarcastic" but Geoff's mini-fisking tells me I was on the money as a plausible-sounding leftist.”
"He looked so cute with his purple skin and bright yellow hair."
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘sardonic’.
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501
Classic
aberration, abstruse, anomaly, assiduous, august, banal, boisterous, dulcet, epitome, impudent, insolent, mellifluous and 401 more...
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GRE Barron's 800
abate, abdicate, aberrant, abeyance, abject, abjure, abscission, abscond, abstemious, abstinence, abysmal, accretion and 787 more...
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AFET - diplomacy
broker a peace ac..., client state, deadlocked peace ..., embassy, freeze, goodwill ambassador, hinterland, interfere in dome..., intervene personally, maintain technica..., mediation, no business as usual and 670 more...
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501
Classic
aberration, abstruse, anomaly, assiduous, august, banal, boisterous, dulcet, epitome, impudent, insolent, mellifluous and 401 more...
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GRE 2014
abase, abate, abdicate, aberrant, abeyance, abhor, abjure, abortive, abound, abrasive, abreast, abridge and 1577 more...
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From reading
Collected from reading
venerate, reprobate, reticent, adoration, ethereal, ephemeral, equivocal, contumacious, heinous, solicitous, agnostic, aberration and 335 more...
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501
Classic
aberration, abstruse, anomaly, assiduous, august, banal, boisterous, dulcet, epitome, impudent, insolent, mellifluous and 401 more...
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501
Classic
aberration, abstruse, anomaly, assiduous, august, banal, boisterous, dulcet, epitome, impudent, insolent, mellifluous and 401 more...
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Let's Talk About Family!
idiosyncrasy, acerbic, sardonic, mordant, aesthetics, prolific, discerning, eclectic, iconoclast, heterodox, disheveled, deplorable and 36 more...
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good to know
sardonic, concordance, acerbic, onerous, saccharine, muliebrity, fugacious, evanescent, gambit, capricious, liaison, fallacious and 18 more...
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SAT Master Vocab List
Words I have come across that I don't know the meaning of!
rumination, contrition, extemporize, effusion, exult, vexed, sumptuous, punitive, brethren, harridan, macabre, acrid and 123 more...
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On The Road
It's a book by Jack Kerouac
Vague, jalopy, naïve, emaciated, vindicate, hysterical, Obsequious, Schopenhauer, dichotomy, jargon, phosphorescence, lout and 109 more...
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Words For Novel
viridity, effigy, paragon, congested, acrid, lilting, clandestine, plethora, accolade, sardonic, naïve, reckoning and 285 more...
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ash vocab
flippant, fillip, expiate, explicate, extirpate, facile, florid, fealty, allegiance, fetid, febrile, pert and 134 more...
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Twitter favorites
The new favourite words of people on Twitter.
A script searches Twitter for "X is my new favorite word" and adds it to this list.
See also:
unfathomably, glice, cuh, fab, ciggaty, doll, thuggin, oxymoronic, pineapple, succubutt, griming, cheeky and 3099 more... -
Need to Know!
elicit, educe, refute, cogency, churlish, martinet, veritable, polyglot, dissemble, histrionics, prevarication, verbiage and 166 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for sardonic.
hernesheir The Wordnik search/lookup function seems to be down.
edit: search is working now.
Nov 30, 2011
snapd Sorry for any confusion: I am not sure my note was accepted to my suggested word 'sardony'
There seem to be many words which lack a complete complement of forms. Sardonic is one of them. I cannot say "I am tired of your sardony" in a manner similar to how I can say "I am tired of your anger". Instead I must always attach a noun or verb to the adjective or adverb. Is there a name for these kinds of imperfect or irregular words? As a class, do they derive particularly from any linguistic river that has contributed to English? Should there not be a word 'sardony'? Jul 22, 2009
snapd I've had it with your sardony! Jul 22, 2009
snapd I've had it with your sardony! Jul 22, 2009
PossibleUnderscore Sarcasm:
Harsh derision or irony: a sharp ironical taunt; sneering or cutting remark, usually intended to wound.
Sardonic:
Bitter derision, usually ironic: intended to be humorous.
Difference: Sardonic and Sarcastic
Sarcasm is more general than sardonicism. It can be humorous (at the cost of others), acidic, dry, or similar. To tell the 'type' of sarcasm, you must know the context.
Sardonicism implies a negative view of something. It's sarcasm with an ill tone, even if it's used for humour. Someone can use sardonicism but it's obvious that he isn't too comfortable with subject. Jul 13, 2009
mariecarnes "But when President Bush demands Russia go home and leave Georgia alone, his pal Vladimir Putin - the modern Russian czar - gets that sardonic smile on his face." -- Bill Moyers Sep 6, 2008
dontcry Pro, I get it! Ha! May 2, 2008
Prolagus This is me. (Sardu + NYC) May 2, 2008
davidbenoit He whips her lightly, sardonically, with a belt. 'Haven't I been through enough?' she asks, Now dressed and leaving
Jim Morrison Oct 13, 2007
andrew.simone I always think of Waiting for Guffman when I hear this word: "He was in the, the very... the sardonically irreverent..."Dybbyck Shmybbyck, I Said 'More Ham'" Dec 4, 2006