sarcasm
- 1The use of sharp, biting language to mock or show contempt, often through verbal irony and, in speech, often marked by exaggerated emphasis and sneering.
Years of teaching high school had made her almost immune to sarcasm.
The reviewer's sarcasm was unmistakable: she called the four-hour film "a brisk little outing."
Note
Mockery with a gruesome root: the word came through Late Latin sarcasmus from Greek sarkasmós, "a sneer", built on a verb for gnashing the teeth in anger whose literal meaning was "to strip off the flesh", from sárx, "flesh". Usually it names the manner and takes no plural, but it can also be counted: a sarcasm is one cutting remark, and sarcasms are several.
Checked 3 Nov 2026 · 5 facts
- Sarcasm came through Late Latin sarcasmus from Greek sarkasmós, meaning 'a sneer'. en.wiktionary.org
- Greek sarkasmós derives from the verb sarkázō. en.wiktionary.org
- The underlying verb means to gnash the teeth in anger. en.wiktionary.org
- The verb has the literal meaning of stripping or tearing flesh. en.wiktionary.org
- The verb derives from sárx, meaning 'flesh'. en.wiktionary.org
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Origin
English took sarcasm from Late Latin sarcasmus, which goes back to Ancient Greek sarkasmós (“a sneer”). The Greek noun comes from the verb sarkázō, used for “I gnash the teeth (in anger)” but literally “I strip off the flesh”, which is built on sárx (“flesh”).