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
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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.
Conspicuous lip color can, after all, signify a million things — from class status to sardonic camp.
From Salon
He said Crook's latest series is "quite incisive, it's not dreamy, he writes very funny lines, very tart and quite sardonic in their way".
From BBC
Her voice was full of sardonic faux pity.
From Literature
Along the way, Wilson takes Zoom meetings, unsuccessfully pitching this meta-doc to financiers, and, out of sardonic desperation, studying how to write a successful Hallmark movie.
From Los Angeles Times
But the marketing term has since taken a viral, sardonic turn.
From BBC
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.
