sardonic

• POS: Adjective
• HYPHEN: sar=don=ic

CIDE DICTIONARY

sardonic, a. [F. sardonique, L. sardonius, Gr. , , perhaps fr. to grin like a dog, or from a certain plant of Sardinia, Gr. , which was said to screw up the face of the eater.].

 Forced; unnatural; insincere; hence, derisive, mocking, malignant, or bitterly sarcastic; -- applied only to a laugh, smile, or some facial semblance of gayety.  [1913 Webster]
"Where strained, sardonic smiles are glozing still,
And grief is forced to laugh against her will."  [1913 Webster]
"The scornful, ferocious, sardonic grin of a bloody ruffian."  [1913 Webster]

Sardonic grin or Sardonic laugh, an old medical term for a spasmodic affection of the muscles of the face, giving it an appearance of laughter.

sardonic, a. 

 Of, pertaining to, or resembling, a kind of linen made at Colchis.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

sardonic, adj.
1 grimly jocular.
2 (of laughter etc.) bitterly mocking or cynical.

Derivative

sardonically adv. sardonicism n.

Etymology

F sardonique, earlier sardonien f. L sardonius f. Gk sardonios of Sardinia, alt. of sardanios Homeric epithet of bitter or scornful laughter

THESAURUS

sardonic

Rabelaisian, caustic, contemptuous, corrosive, cynical, derisive, derisory, disdainful, dry, ironic, ironical, jeering, mocking, sarcastic, satiric, saturnine, sneering, wry

ROGET THESAURUS

sardonic

Disapprobation

N disapprobation, disapproval, improbation, disesteem, disvaluation, displacency, odium, dislike, dispraise, discommendation, blame, censure, obloquy, detraction, disparagement, depreciation, denunciation, condemnation, ostracism, black list, animadversion, reflection, stricture, objection, exception, criticism, sardonic grin, sardonic laugh, sarcasm, insinuation, innuendo, bad compliment, poor compliment, left-handed compliment, satire, sneer, taunt, cavil, carping, censoriousness, hypercriticism, reprehension, remonstrance, expostulation, reproof, reprobation, admonition, increpation, reproach, rebuke, reprimand, castigation, jobation, lecture, curtain lecture, blow up, wigging, dressing, rating, scolding, trimming, correction, set down, rap on the knuckles, coup de bec, rebuff, slap, slap on the face, home thrust, hit, frown, scowl, black look, diatribe, jeremiad, jeremiade, tirade, philippic, clamor, outcry, hue and cry, hiss, hissing, sibilance, sibilation, catcall, execration, chiding, upbraiding, exprobation, abuse, vituperation, invective, objurgation, contumely, hard words, cutting words, bitter words, evil-speaking, bad language, personality, disapproving, scandalized, disparaging, condemnatory, damnatory, denunciatory, reproachful, abusive, objurgatory, clamorous, vituperative, defamatory, satirical, sarcastic, sardonic, cynical, dry, sharp, cutting, biting, severe, withering, trenchant, hard upon, censorious, critical, captious, carping, hypercritical, fastidious, sparing of praise, grudging praise, disapproved, chid, in bad odor, blown upon, unapproved, unblest, at a discount, exploded, weighed in the balance and found wanting, blameworthy, reprehensible, to blame, worthy of blame, answerable, uncommendable, exceptionable, not to be thought of, bad, vicious, unlamented, unbewailed, unpitied, with a wry face, reproachfully, Int, it is too bad!, it won't do, it will never do!, marry come up!, Oh!, come!, 'sdeath!, forbid it Heaven!, God forbid, Heaven forbid!, out upon, fie upon it!, away with!, tut!, O tempora!, O mores!, shame!, fie, fie for shame!, out on you!, tell it not in Gath!.

Detraction

N detraction, disparagement, depreciation, vilification, obloquy, scurrility, scandal, defamation, aspersion, traducement, slander, calumny, obtrectation, evil-speaking, backbiting, scandalum magnatum, personality, libel, lampoon, skit, pasquinade, chronique scandaleuse, roorback, sarcasm, cynicism, criticism (disapprobation), invective, envenomed tongue, spretae injuria formae, personality, libel, lampoon, skit, pasquinade, chronique scandaleuse, roorback, detractor, detracting, defamatory, detractory, derogatory, deprecatory, catty, disparaging, libelous, scurrile, scurrilous, abusive, foul- spoken, foul-tongued, foul-mouthed, slanderous, calumnious, calumniatory, sarcastic, sardonic, sarcastic, satirical, cynical, critical, damn with faint praise, assent with civil leer, and without sneering, teach the rest to sneer, another lie nailed to the counter, cut men's throats with whisperings, foul whisperings are abroad, soft-buzzing slander, virtue itself 'scapes not calumnious strokes.