SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS
sardonic
adjective
Grimly or bitterly mocking.
Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
Bitterly mocking
Closest synonyms
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topSardonic humor has a grim or disdainful edge. Wry and dry can be gentler and need not express contempt.
CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT
See sardonic in use
The narrator's sardonic humor turns every ceremony into a spectacle.
In a second discussion, the presenter made a caustic remark about the committee's planning skills, turning a legitimate concern into a cutting personal jab. His sardonic comment that another delay was exactly what the project needed conveyed bitter mockery rather than sincere approval.
Compare an alternative with the original word in each passage. Shared meanings do not make every pair interchangeable.
Synonym reference scope and sources
The groups distinguish the senses selected for this study entry. Closest synonyms and broader related expressions have separate labels. The listed sources support lexical selection; not every phrase is a direct quotation from a source.
How the synonym reference was prepared / WordNet 3.0 license