sardonic

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“
(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.)

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Definitions (7)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. adjective Scornfully or cynically mocking. See Synonyms at sarcastic.

Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (3)

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (2)

Toggle WordNet definitions WordNet (1)

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Examples

  • (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.) —  VERBATIM: The Language Quarterly Vol IX No 1
  • She was distressed to realize that she had been unconscious for almost nine hours. —  Eve's Rib
  • Any reply he gave would have sounded sardonic, and he didn't dare make Kugu any more suspicious than he was already. —  Rulers of the Darkness
  • The lawyer's smile was sardonic, and it caused Ben to cringe, but Kate handled his remark perfectly. —  Baby In My Arms
  • "sardonic" is related to a Greek word which means "to snarl," and a sardonic grin is merely a snarl. —  More Science From an Easy Chair
 

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Sardonic has been looked up 1103 times, favorited 8 times, listed 140 times, and commented on 9 times.

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Roget's II Roget's II: The New Thesaurus

Allen's Allen's Synonyms and Antonyms

Used in the same context Used in the Same Context

wry ·  ironic ·  sarcastic ·  derisive ·  disdainful ·  sly ·  smug ·  supercilious ·  humorous ·  incredulous ·  condescend ·  caustic
Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary. Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Etymologies (2)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. French sardonique, from Greek sardonios, alteration of sardanios.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (1)

  1. from French sardonique = Spanish sardónico = Portuguese Italian sardonico, from Middle Latin *sardonicus, sc. risus, sardonic laughter, believed to be so called as resembling the effect produced by a Sardinian plant (Latin Sardonia herba, Sardoa herba, a bitter herb, which was said to distort the face of the eater: L. Sardonia, feminine of Sardonius, from Greek Σαρδόνιος, also Σαρδονικός, of Sardinia, from Σαρδώ, Sardinia), but properly L. *sardanius, sc. risus, from Greek σαρδάνιος, bitter, scornful, used only in the phrase γέλως σαρδάνιος, bitter laughter (γέλωτα σαρδάνιον γελᾶν, or simply σαρδάνιον γελᾶν, laugh a bitter laugh); cf. σαρδάζειν, laugh bitterly, σεσ, σ1ηρώς, grinning, sneering (properly past participle from ✓ σαρ). The word sardonic is prob. often mentally associated with sarcastic
 

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/sɑrˈdɑnɪk/
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