as in sarcastic
marked by the use of wit that is intended to cause hurt feelings
a sardonic little jab that made her visitor quiet and subdued for the rest of the night
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of sardonic
But nothing can quite compare with the sophistication and sardonic genius of Nigel Kipling.
—
Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 18 Mar. 2025
While Grace, in a variation on his usual chatty dweebs, wavers between sardonic and panicky, poor Dockery is stuck playing a character who has to make terrible decision after terrible decision in order to sustain the primary gimmick.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 23 Jan. 2025
His wave illustrations, many of them in color, eschew the sardonic tone that distinguishes his other work, and instead center the power and calm of nature, often commenting on humanity’s relation to it through the presentation of a single, minuscule surfer riding a monster swell.
—News Desk, Artforum, 17 Mar. 2025
The playful sneers of the Scherzo gave way to a snarling, gnashing Intermezzo, the orchestra and especially the low brass giving it their sardonic all.
—Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 2 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sardonic
Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 18 Mar. 2025
While Grace, in a variation on his usual chatty dweebs, wavers between sardonic and panicky, poor Dockery is stuck playing a character who has to make terrible decision after terrible decision in order to sustain the primary gimmick.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 23 Jan. 2025
His wave illustrations, many of them in color, eschew the sardonic tone that distinguishes his other work, and instead center the power and calm of nature, often commenting on humanity’s relation to it through the presentation of a single, minuscule surfer riding a monster swell.
—News Desk, Artforum, 17 Mar. 2025
The playful sneers of the Scherzo gave way to a snarling, gnashing Intermezzo, the orchestra and especially the low brass giving it their sardonic all.
—Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 2 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sardonic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sardonic
Adjective
-
Emmy-nominated for the role the first time out, Ramsey is genius in it, the perfect amounts of precocious, sarcastic, and wide-eyedly vulnerable.—
Zing Tsjeng,
Vogue,
11 Apr. 2025
-
What about someone who posts a meme that is satirical or a comment that is meant to be sarcastic?—
Peter Suciu,
Forbes.com,
10 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
That’s the premise of Douglas Is Cancelled, a cruelly funny 2024 BBC sitcom that seems very much in sync with satiric comedies such as The Office and W1A and Yes Minister.—
Air Mail,
Air Mail,
22 Mar. 2025
-
Misery, a horror movie with a satiric streak, launched Bates’s film stardom.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
21 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
The season does pepper throughout a sense that Santos has a real heart under all that barbed wire.—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
10 Apr. 2025
-
The base that this is based on now has a bunch of barbed wire and fencing.—
Fred Topel,
Deadline,
5 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sardonic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sardonic. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share