Definition of sardonic
: disdainfully or skeptically humorous : derisively mocking
- a sardonic comment
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Examples of sardonic in a Sentence
- "The Great War," used interchangeably with "the First World War" (so named in 1918 by a sardonic English journalist, who knew it would not be the last such conflict) … —Benjamin Schwarz, Atlantic, May 1999
- They have that brand of sardonic humor special to people up against it: black and wry and shocking … —Doris Lessing, New Yorker, 16 Mar. 1987
- In a story by Flaubert, this spreading of cloths to save the carpet would be observed with a sardonic eye; in Lawrence it is bleakly practical. —Hugh Kenner, A Sinking Island, 1987
The movie is a sardonic look at modern life.
a sardonic little jab that made her visitor quiet and subdued for the rest of the night
Recent Examples of sardonic from the Web
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By placing the sardonic Gunther in Hitler’s Germany, Mr. Kerr found fertile turf for years of complex storytelling.
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There’s a beating heart of sardonic sincerity in this show which (mostly) carries it over some of the more wincing moments.
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Phoebe Waller-Bridge is a revelation as the title character: a sardonic, impulsive young woman navigating life in London, bluntly narrating her exploits (and sexploits) to the camera while quietly dealing with profound pain.
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The formerly alt-country songwriter has herself over into an often wickedly funny and winningly sardonic indie pop act with lots of surprising musical moves on her new album, Loner.
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As good as Robbie is, sardonic Allison Janney, a Kenyon College graduate, is even better, winning a best supporting actress Oscar and Golden Globe as Tonya's unapologetically abusive mother.
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Drifting into an affair with a flighty teenager, Elena (Daisy Granados), Sergio equates her lack of education with Cuba’s underdevelopment, taking her to museums that, in a particularly sardonic sequence, include Ernest Hemingway’s villa.
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As usual, Krysten Ritter's sardonic private eye in Netflix's Marvel drama Jessica Jones describes her present predicament in extremely colorful fashion — and as usual, her present predicament involves something deeply personal, much to her chagrin.
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The young president was formerly a minister in a Socialist government; the sardonic prime minister belonged to the centre-right Republicans.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'sardonic.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
sardonic Synonyms
Synonyms
acerbic, acid, acidic, acrid, barbed, biting, caustic, corrosive, cutting, mordant, pungent, sarcastic, satiric (or satirical), scalding, scathing, sharp, smart-aleck, smart-alecky, tart;
Near Antonyms
amusing, droll, merry, playful, sportive, waggish;
diplomatic, polite, smooth, suave, urbane;
Related Words
brisk, cross, sharp-tongued, sour, sourish, spiky (also spikey), tartish;
incisive, keen, poignant, trenchant;
cynical, dry, ironic (also ironical), wry;
facetious, flippant, tongue-in-cheek;
acrimonious, bitter, resentful, vitriolic;
harsh, rough, severe, stringent;
abrupt, blunt, brusque (also brusk), concise, crisp, curt, gruff, pithy, snippety, snippy, succinct, terse;
Synonym Discussion of sardonic
sarcastic, satiric, ironic, sardonic mean marked by bitterness and a power or will to cut or sting. sarcastic implies an intentional inflicting of pain by deriding, taunting, or ridiculing.
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- a critic known for his sarcastic remarks
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- a satiric look at contemporary society
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- made the ironic observation that the government could always be trusted
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- surveyed the scene with a sardonic smile
SARDONIC Defined for English Language Learners
Definition of sardonic for English Language Learners
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: showing that you disapprove of or do not like someone or something : showing disrespect or scorn for someone or something
Learn More about sardonic
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See words that rhyme with sardonic Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for sardonic Spanish Central: Translation of sardonic Nglish: Translation of sardonic for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of sardonic for Arabic speakers
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