sarcastic. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

The American Heritage^® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

sarcastic

SYLLABICATION:	sar·cas·tic
PRONUNCIATION:	sär-kstk
ADJECTIVE:	1. Expressing or marked by sarcasm. 2. Given to using sarcasm.
ETYMOLOGY:	sarc(asm) + -astic, as in enthusiastic.
OTHER FORMS:	sar·casti·cal·ly —ADVERB
SYNONYMS:	sarcastic, ironic, caustic, satirical, sardonic These adjectives mean having or marked by a feeling of bitterness and a biting or cutting quality. Sarcastic suggests sharp taunting and ridicule that wounds: “a deserved reputation for sarcastic, acerbic and uninhibited polemics” (Burke Marshall). Ironic implies a subtler form of mockery in which an intended meaning is conveyed obliquely: “a man of eccentric charm, ironic humor, and—above all—profound literary genius” (Jonathan Kirsch). Caustic means corrosive and bitingly trenchant: “The caustic jokes … deal with such diverse matters as political assassination, talk-show hosts, medical ethics” (Frank Rich). Satirical implies exposure, especially of vice or folly, to ridicule: “on the surface a satirical look at commercial radio, but also a study of the misuse of telecommunications” (Richard Harrington). Sardonic is associated with scorn, derision, mockery, and often cynicism: “He was proud, sardonic, harsh to inferiority of every description” (Charlotte Brontë).


The American Heritage^® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.