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sardonically

American  
[sahr-don-ik-lee] / sɑrˈdɒn ɪk li /

adverb

  1. in a way that is characterized by bitter or scornful derision; mockingly.

    She laughed and sardonically sang him a love song as she prepared to walk out of his life.


Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Etymology

Origin of sardonically

sardonic ( def. ) + -ally ( def. )

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.

His sardonically bouncy song “Vietnam,” from his self-titled album released in 1969, was said to have been Bob Dylan’s favorite antiwar song.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 24, 2025

The inquiry’s own lead counsel asked sardonically whether she was “the unluckiest CEO in history”.

From BBC • Nov. 15, 2024

Ali Jarbawi, a former minister of the PA and a professor of political science, sardonically responded to the prospect of international security forces by saying “Ahlan wa Sahlan,” which means “welcome” in Arabic.

From Slate • Nov. 15, 2023

Thus came the thesis statement of Lavoe’s sardonically titled comeback album “Comedia”: the dark, confessional salsa piece “El Cantante,” in which Lavoe lamented the psychological cost of pop stardom.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 17, 2023

She was sardonically pleased to notice that when they saw that Iofur had discarded his, they didn’t know what to do with theirs.

From "The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman

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