satiric

adjective

sa·​tir·​ic sə-ˈtir-ik How to pronounce satiric (audio)
variants or satirical
1
: of, relating to, or constituting satire
satiric writers
2
: manifesting or given to satire
satirically adverb
Choose the Right Synonym for satiric

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.

a critic known for his sarcastic remarks

satiric implies that the intent of the ridiculing is censure and reprobation.

a satiric look at contemporary society

ironic implies an attempt to be amusing or provocative by saying usually the opposite of what is meant.

made the ironic observation that the government could always be trusted

sardonic implies scorn, mockery, or derision that is manifested by either verbal or facial expression.

surveyed the scene with a sardonic smile

Examples of satiric in a Sentence

a satiric story about the movie business
Recent Examples on the Web Powell was the author of penetrating portraits of small-town life and satiric stabs at New York society of the 1930s and ‘40s. cleveland, 23 Aug. 2023 Even Claudius—despite the ending of Seneca’s satiric fantasy—had his own prominent temple in Rome. Mary Beard, The New Yorker, 26 June 2023 But, of course, the movie is really about Ken’s other, better half, played by Robbie with a radiant sweetness that might have worked better with a bit more satiric bite (Amy Schumer was to have starred in a much earlier incarnation). Tom Gliatto, Peoplemag, 19 July 2023 By mocking business through starkly unadorned panels, Adams had a satiric and visual niche — a combination that Toler found appealing. Samantha Chery, Washington Post, 6 Mar. 2023 This offbeat show has a sharp satiric surface that exposes the casual cruelty and hypocrisy of family life and the torturous mind games of high school. Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2023 In the 1887 satiric novel The Republic of the Future, author Anna Dodd envisions with horror the food pellets prescribed by state scientists and distributed from centralized larders directly to kitchen-free homes via hundreds of miles of pneumatic tube. Richard Faulk, Discover Magazine, 4 June 2015 LuPone is scaldingly effective in a role that essentially plays for keeps what Elaine May’s hectoring, manipulating mother in the old Nichols and May sketches played for keeps and satiric acumen, in equal measure. Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 19 Apr. 2023 This seems a rather accurate foreshadowing of the melancholy Prince of Wales in his long years of waiting, when he was lampooned by the satiric magazine Private Eye as the Heir of Sorrows. Fintan O’Toole, The New York Review of Books, 7 May 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'satiric.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1509, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of satiric was in 1509

Dictionary Entries Near satiric

Cite this Entry

“Satiric.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/satiric. Accessed 23 Sep. 2023.

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