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
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Recent Examples of sardonic
Last season of Tell Me Lies, Hulu’s soapy, sardonic drama about a toxic on-and-off relationship between college students Lucy Albright (Grace Van Patten) and Stephen DeMarco (Jackson White), ended with a bang—literally.
—
Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 13 Jan. 2026
However, a touch of sardonic levity has always been part of Panahi’s storytelling.
—Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 6 Jan. 2026
And her unfailing ability to give the perfect little sardonic wink and nod extends beyond her social media content and even beyond her impeccable performances in projects like Netflix's Too Much.
—Meg Walters, InStyle, 4 Jan. 2026
There is a wry, sardonic Reinerian sensibility to be found in all of his best work, even in the cramped and frightening confines of Misery (1990).
—Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 15 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sardonic
Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 13 Jan. 2026
However, a touch of sardonic levity has always been part of Panahi’s storytelling.
—Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 6 Jan. 2026
And her unfailing ability to give the perfect little sardonic wink and nod extends beyond her social media content and even beyond her impeccable performances in projects like Netflix's Too Much.
—Meg Walters, InStyle, 4 Jan. 2026
There is a wry, sardonic Reinerian sensibility to be found in all of his best work, even in the cramped and frightening confines of Misery (1990).
—Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 15 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sardonic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sardonic
Adjective
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Tom Lester played Eb Dawson, the Douglases' sarcastic young farmhand.—
Meredith Wilshere,
PEOPLE,
25 Jan. 2026
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The worse things are going, the more bitter and sarcastic my humor sometimes gets.—
Kenna Hughes-Castleberry,
Space.com,
24 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The only thing that may be crazier than the actual football life is this satirical comedy-drama that has more to do with a hedonistic existence than play-action passes.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
6 Feb. 2026
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But it’s set apart from the rest of her work by a long, satirical section sending up gothic fiction and its fans.—
Boris Kachka,
The Atlantic,
6 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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These corporations are enabling violence on the streets and death behind barbed wire.—
Robert B. Reich,
Hartford Courant,
12 Feb. 2026
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Reams of barbed wire gathered from the fields around Penpont were fashioned into a mesh curtain whose ends wrapped around two columns at the top of the museum’s grand staircase; the result was both alluring and forbidding.—
Rebecca Mead,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Aluminum foil is heat resistant and can be used to line pans or cover dishes, but isn't nonstick, and may not be safe for acidic food applications.—
Katie Rosenhouse,
Southern Living,
9 Feb. 2026
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The acidic content in vinegar breaks down mineral deposits, hard water stains, and buildup and neutralizes odors.—
Maria Sabella,
The Spruce,
8 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sardonic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sardonic. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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