Sarcastic

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /sɑːˈkæs.tɪk/

Definitions

1. Using irony to mock or convey contempt, often by saying the opposite of what is meant
2. Expressing mockery or disdain through ironic speech where the literal meaning contradicts the intended message
3. Characterized by sharp, often cutting remarks that use irony to belittle or ridicule someone or something

Etymology: The most striking fact here is that "sarcastic" grows from a Greek word for flesh. In ancient Greek, "sarkazein" meant to tear flesh like a dog, or to speak bitterly, and the noun "sarkasmos" carried that same sense of cutting someone down. The root is "sarx," meaning meat or flesh, so the literal picture behind a sneer is a wound. The noun passed through Late Latin as "sarcasmus" and then into French as "sarcasme," and English took it from there. The adjective "sarcastic" has two possible routes: it may have come from the English noun "sarcasm" with the suffix "-astic," or from the French adjective "sarcastique." Sources do not settle which, and both lead to the same Greek core.

Synonyms: ironic, sardonic, mocking, snarky, scornful

Antonyms: sincere, genuine, earnest, truthful, straightforward