sarcasm

Etymology

From Late Latin sarcasmus, from Ancient Greek σαρκασμός (sarkasmós, “a sneer”), from σαρκάζω (sarkázō, “I gnash the teeth (in anger)”, literally “I strip off the flesh”), from σάρξ (sárx, “flesh”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsɑːɹˌkæzəm/, /ˈsɑːˌkæzəm/

• Audio (US)

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Noun

sarcasm (countable and uncountable, plural sarcasms)

1. (uncountable) Use of acerbic language to mock or convey contempt, often using irony and (in speech) often marked by overemphasis and a sneering tone of voice.

   Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit.

   • 1898, Winston Churchill, chapter 5, in The Celebrity:

     Although the Celebrity was almost impervious to sarcasm, he was now beginning to exhibit visible signs of uneasiness, the consciousness dawning upon him that his eccentricity was not receiving the ovation it merited.

2. (countable) An act of sarcasm.

Further reading

• sarcasm in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• sarcasm in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
• sarcasm at OneLook Dictionary Search