risus sardonicus

British

/ ˈriːsəs sɑːˈdɒnɪkəs /

noun

Also called: trismus cynicus. pathol fixed contraction of the facial muscles resulting in a peculiar distorted grin, caused esp by tetanus

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of risus sardonicus

C17: New Latin, literally: sardonic laugh

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The angles of the mouth may be retracted, producing a grinning expression known as the risus sardonicus.

From Manual of Surgery Volume First: General Surgery. Sixth Edition. by Thomson, Alexis

There was a man who knew hatred and the risus sardonicus!

From Lewis Rand by Johnston, Mary

The body was bent like a bow but the most unbearable of all was the drawn face and the awful semblance of laughter that has been fitly called risus sardonicus.

From The Independence Day Horror at Killsbury by Coolidge, Asenath Carver

But missions now are admitted by all to be one of the great facts of the age, and the sneers about "Exeter Hall" are seen by every one to embody a risus sardonicus.

From The Personal Life of David Livingstone by Blaikie, William Garden

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023