sarcastic

sar·cas·tic
S1A1R1C3A1S1T1I1C3
UK/sɑːˈkæs.tɪk/US/sɑɹˈkæs.tɪk/

adjective

Containing sarcasm.

“a sarcastic quip”

Opposite
Less commonScrabble 13

Meanings

adjectivesarcastic (comparative more sarcastic, superlative most sarcastic)

comparative more sarcastic · superlative most sarcastic · alternative obsolete sarcastick

  1. Containing sarcasm.

    a sarcastic quip

    5 more examples

    the teacher's sarcastic tone

    The unhappy Jew eyed their countenances and that of Front-de-Bœuf, in hope of discovering some symptoms of relenting; but that of the Baron exhibited the same cold, half-sullen, half-sarcastic smile which had been the prelude to his cruelty; […]

    1819 December 20 (indicated as 1820), Walter Scott, Ivanhoe; a Romance. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), Edinburgh: […] Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Hurst, Robinson, and Co. […], →OCLC

    The sarcastic bitterness of his conversation disgusted those who were more inclined to accuse his licentiousness than their own degeneracy, and who were unable to conceive the strength of those emotions which are concealed by the jests of the wretched, and by the follies of the wise.

    1850, Thomas Babington Macaulay, Machiavelli

    He smiled to himself, and threw a glance of fine sarcastic meaning towards Hepzibah.

    1851 April 9, Nathaniel Hawthorne, The House of the Seven Gables, a Romance, Boston, Mass.: Ticknor, Reed, and Fields, →OCLC

    In men’s clubs such celebrations were, though expiring, less uncommon; but either the natural shyness of the softer sex, or a sarcastic attitude on the part of male relatives, had denuded such women’s clubs as remained (if any other did) or this their glory and consummation.

    1891, Thomas Hardy, chapter II, in Tess of the d’Urbervilles: A Pure Woman Faithfully Presented […], volume I, London: James R[ipley] Osgood, McIlvaine and Co., […], →OCLC
  2. Having the personality trait of expressing sarcasm.

    Her eyes slanted a little... and were sometimes full of fiery determination and sometimes dull and opaque. Her expression was never altogether amiable; was often, indeed, distinctly sullen, or, when she was animated, sarcastic.

    1912, Willa Cather, The Bohemian Girl

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectiveexpressing or expressive of ridicule that wounds

Opposite

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*twerḱ-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*túrḱs /*twérḱs
  3. Proto-Hellenic*súrks /*swə́rks
  4. Ancient Greekσᾰ́ρξ (sắrx)
  5. Ancient Greekσᾰρκᾰ́ζω (sărkắzō)
  6. Ancient Greekσαρκασμός (sarkasmós)
  7. Late Latinsarcasmus
  8. Englishsarcasm
  9. Late Latinsarcasmu
  10. Frenchsarcasme
  11. Frenchsarcastique
  12. Englishsarcastic

Either from sarcasm + -astic or from French sarcastique, from French sarcasme, from Late Latin sarcasmus, ultimately from Ancient Greek σαρκασμός (sarkasmós, “sarcasm”), itself from Ancient Greek σάρξ (sárx, literally “meat, flesh”).

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek εἰρωνικός, σαρκαστικός
  • εἰρωνικός (eirōnikós)Containing sarcasm
  • σαρκαστικός (sarkastikós)Containing sarcasm
Arabic ساخر
  • ساخرContaining sarcasm
Bulgarian саркастичен
  • саркастичен (sarkastičen)Containing sarcasm
Catalan sarcàstic, sarcàstic
  • sarcàsticContaining sarcasm
  • sarcàsticHaving the personality trait of expressing sarcasm
Chinese Cantonese 串
  • 串 (cyun³)Having the personality trait of expressing sarcasm
Czech sarkastický
  • sarkastickýContaining sarcasm
Dutch sarcastisch, sarcastisch
  • sarcastischContaining sarcasm
  • sarcastischHaving the personality trait of expressing sarcasm
Esperanto sarkasma, sarkasmema
  • sarkasmaContaining sarcasm
  • sarkasmemaHaving the personality trait of expressing sarcasm
Finnish sarkastinen, sarkastinen
  • sarkastinenContaining sarcasm
  • sarkastinenHaving the personality trait of expressing sarcasm
French sarcastique, sarcastique
  • sarcastiqueContaining sarcasm
  • sarcastiqueHaving the personality trait of expressing sarcasm
German sarkastisch, sarkastisch
  • sarkastischContaining sarcasm
  • sarkastischHaving the personality trait of expressing sarcasm
Greek ειρωνικός, σαρκαστικός
  • ειρωνικός (eironikós)Containing sarcasm
  • σαρκαστικός (sarkastikós)Containing sarcasm
  • σαρκαστικός (sarkastikós)Having the personality trait of expressing sarcasm
  • ειρωνικός (eironikós)Having the personality trait of expressing sarcasm
Hungarian gúnyos, gunyoros
  • gúnyosContaining sarcasm
  • gunyorosContaining sarcasm
  • szarkasztikusContaining sarcasm
  • szarkasztikusHaving the personality trait of expressing sarcasm
Indonesian sarkastis
  • sarkastisContaining sarcasm
Italian sarcastico, sarcastico
  • sarcasticoContaining sarcasm
  • sarcasticoHaving the personality trait of expressing sarcasm
Latin nāsūtus, dicāculus
  • nāsūtusContaining sarcasm
  • dicāculusContaining sarcasm
  • nāsūtusHaving the personality trait of expressing sarcasm
  • dicaxHaving the personality trait of expressing sarcasm
Polish sarkastyczny, sarkastyczny
  • sarkastycznyContaining sarcasm
  • sarkastycznyHaving the personality trait of expressing sarcasm
Portuguese sarcástico, sarcástico
  • sarcásticoContaining sarcasm
  • sarcásticoHaving the personality trait of expressing sarcasm
Russian саркасти́ческий, язви́тельный
  • саркасти́ческий (sarkastíčeskij)Containing sarcasm
  • язви́тельный (jazvítelʹnyj)Containing sarcasm
  • саркасти́чный (sarkastíčnyj)Having the personality trait of expressing sarcasm
Scottish Gaelic sgaiteach, sgaiteach
  • sgaiteachContaining sarcasm
  • sgaiteachHaving the personality trait of expressing sarcasm
Spanish sarcástico, sarcástico
  • sarcásticoContaining sarcasm
  • sarcásticoHaving the personality trait of expressing sarcasm
Swedish sarkastisk, sarkastisk
  • sarkastiskContaining sarcasm
  • sarkastiskHaving the personality trait of expressing sarcasm
Tagalog mapanuya, mapanuya
  • mapanuyaContaining sarcasm
  • mapanuyaHaving the personality trait of expressing sarcasm
Turkish alaycı, müstehzi
  • alaycıContaining sarcasm
  • müstehziContaining sarcasm
  • alaycıHaving the personality trait of expressing sarcasm
  • müstehziHaving the personality trait of expressing sarcasm
Ukrainian саркасти́чний
  • саркасти́чний (sarkastýčnyj)Containing sarcasm

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with sarcastic

All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

sarcastic. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sarcastic

MLA

“sarcastic.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sarcastic. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sarcastic,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sarcastic.

Source: sarcastic on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.