sardonic

英 [sɑː'dɒnɪk] 美 [sɑːr'dɑːnɪk]

adj.讥讽的；嘲笑的；冷笑的

◉词源

“Sardonic”源自希腊语“sardonios”，意为“苦笑、嘲讽的”，可能与“Sardinia”（撒丁岛）相关，传说岛上一种植物引起苦笑痉挛。16世纪进入英语，最初指“嘲讽的、冷笑的”，后形容带有苦涩或轻蔑的讽刺语气。

◉外刊例句

·《The New Yorker》 (2025年6月10日)

His sardonic remark stung the audience.

他的嘲讽言论刺痛了观众。

·《The Guardian》 (2024年11月15日)

She gave a sardonic smile at the news.

她对这个消息报以嘲讽的微笑。

◉经典名著

·《傲慢与偏见》（Pride and Prejudice） by Jane Austen (1813)

His sardonic tone betrayed his disdain.

他嘲讽的语气暴露了他的轻蔑。

·《白鲸》（Moby-Dick） by Herman Melville (1851)

A sardonic laugh escaped his lips.

他唇边逸出一声嘲讽的笑。

◉Usage Examples

(1) There was a sardonic expression on her face.

(2) There is little of Satie's sardonic wit to be heard in Skempton's works.

(3) Her voice faded away at the sardonic gleam in his eyes.

(4) Creole started into something else, it was almost sardonic.

(5) He held himself erect, and his face wore its customary sardonic smile.

(1) 她脸上有一种嘲讽的表情。

(2) 在斯开普顿的作品里几乎听不到萨蒂那种讥讽的智慧。

(3) 在他嘲笑的眼神中，她的声音慢慢低下去。

(4) 克里奥尔又开始了，这次几乎是在嘲笑。

(5) 他挺直了身体，依旧冷冷地微笑。

◉Usage Notes

If someone is being scornful and mocking in a humorous way, call her sardonic. If you want to write comic sketches for late-night talk shows, work on being sardonic.

Sardonic comes from the Greek adjective Sardonios, which actually describes a plant from a place called Sardinia that supposedly made your face contort into a horrible grin...right before you died from its poison. The Greeks used sardonic for laughter, but we only use it when someone's humor is also mocking or ironic.

◉柯林斯词典

1[ADJ-GRADED 能被表示程度的副词或介词词组修饰的形容词]冷嘲的；讥讽的 If you describe someone as sardonic, you mean their attitude to people or things is humorous but rather critical. [usu ADJ n]

...a big, sardonic man, who intimidated his students.

令学生胆怯的身材魁梧、爱嘲讽人的男人

...a sardonic sense of humour.

冷嘲式的幽默感

sardonically

He grinned sardonically and bowed towards her.

他咧嘴讪笑，并朝她鞠了一躬。