sardonic

Pronunciation

• IPA: /sɑːˈdɒnɪk/ (UK); /sɑɹˈdɑnɪk/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French sardonique,^{[2][3][4][5][6]} from Latin sardonius, as in sardonius risus,^[4][6] from Greek sardónios “of bitter or scornful laughter”,^[2][3][4][5] an alteration of Homeric sardánios,^[2][3][4] a word of uncertain origin.^[4] The Greeks connected it with Sardónios “Sardinian”, believing that a Sardinian plant caused facial convulsions like bitter laughter,^[3][4][6] usually followed by death.^[4][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

Of laughter or a smile, bitter, scornful and mocking (1638).^[7][3][5]

Semantic evolution

An earlier form was sardonian (1580s).^[4][6] The word first described laughter that only seemed to come from gaiety,^[4] and was applied to persons, “bitterly ironical”, by 1833.^[4] In medicine it described a convulsive grin (1822–29).^[7]

Timeline

• 1580s – sardonian.^[4][6]
• 1638 – of laughter, bitter and mocking.^[7][3][5]
• 1822–29 – in medicine, a convulsive grin.^[7]
• 1833 – of persons, bitterly ironical.^[4]

Modern meaning

Adjective

1. Scornfully or cynically mocking; sarcastic or sneering.

Word family

• sardonically
• sardonicism

Usage notes

Random House gives biting, mordant and contemptuous as synonyms.^[6]

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b c d e f g Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
7. ^ a b c d Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press