sardonic
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
- sardonically adverb
- sardonicism noun
- unsardonic adjective
Etymology
Origin of sardonic
First recorded in 1630–40; alteration of earlier sardonian (influenced by French sardonique, ) from Latin sardoni(us) or directly from Greek sardónios “of Sardinia” + -an; alluding to a Sardinian plant which when eaten was supposed to produce convulsive laughter ending in death
Compare meaning
How does sardonic compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
If someone is being scornful and mocking in a humorous way, call her sardonic. If you want to write comic sketches for late-night talk shows, work on being sardonic. Sardonic comes from the Greek adjective Sardonios, which actually describes a plant from a place called Sardinia that supposedly made your face contort into a horrible grin...right before you died from its poison. The Greeks used sardonic for laughter, but we only use it when someone's humor is also mocking or ironic.
Vocabulary lists containing sardonic
The SAT: Words to Capture Tone, List 2
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The New SAT: Words to Capture Tone
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ACT Reading Test: Words to Capture Tone, List 4
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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 author depicts all this vividly and with sardonic wit, but with little fuss or outrage.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026
But not all his work is overtly political, with many having a comic, or sardonic, message about society.
From BBC • Mar. 18, 2026
Conspicuous lip color can, after all, signify a million things — from class status to sardonic camp.
From Salon • Feb. 19, 2026
These stories of Hujar’s day come through in a mildly sardonic back-and-forth, Ms. Hall’s Rosenkrantz a sympathetic partner in the knowing dialogue that unfolds between them.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 6, 2025
He laughed and then thought of what it would be like if she found out and left him and he never heard that sardonic voice over the phone.
From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
