sardonic
adjective
sar·don·ic
sär-ˈdä-nik 
: disdainfully or skeptically humorous : derisively mocking
a sardonic comment
Synonyms
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
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 on the Web
Frustrated by the surge of callers asking them to listen to demo tapes, the group recreated these messages for the song’s intro and outro, and turned their answering machine’s greeting into its sardonic refrain.
—Brendan Hay, SPIN, 28 Jan. 2025
His style, which sometimes opts for silliness where his peers are biting or sardonic, has become a hallmark of the Grammys.
—Anna Kaufman, USA TODAY, 21 Jan. 2025
The sardonic, neurotic, introspective style of humor reflecting the ambivalence of postwar Jewish-American aspirations for assimilation, was reflected in the works of comedians from Woody Allen to Jerry Seinfeld.
—Rob Salkowitz, Forbes, 21 Jan. 2025
Are his designs intended to be commemorative or sardonic, redemptive or oppressive?
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 3 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for sardonic 
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Brendan Hay, SPIN, 28 Jan. 2025
His style, which sometimes opts for silliness where his peers are biting or sardonic, has become a hallmark of the Grammys.
—Anna Kaufman, USA TODAY, 21 Jan. 2025
The sardonic, neurotic, introspective style of humor reflecting the ambivalence of postwar Jewish-American aspirations for assimilation, was reflected in the works of comedians from Woody Allen to Jerry Seinfeld.
—Rob Salkowitz, Forbes, 21 Jan. 2025
Are his designs intended to be commemorative or sardonic, redemptive or oppressive?
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 3 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for sardonic
Dictionary Entries Near sardonic
Cite this Entry
“Sardonic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sardonic. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.
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