Sardonic means mocking in a dry and rather bitter way. A sardonic smile, sardonic humour, sardonic about it.
The bitterness is what separates it from wry, since a sardonic remark has something wounded in it. The Greek is said to come from a Sardinian plant that made the face twist as if laughing.
1adjectivesardonicMocking in a dry and rather bitter way.
“He gave a sardonic smile when his boss described the pay cut as good news.”
sardonic is a quality.
Greek sardonios is traditionally traced to a Sardinian plant said to twist the face into a grin.
Ancient Greek
σαρδόνιος
Latin
sardonius
French
sardonique
English, today
sardonic
Built from
From French sardonique, from Latin sardonius, from Ancient Greek σαρδόνιος, alternative form of σαρδάνιος (“bitter or scornful laughter”), which is often cited as deriving from the Sardinian plant (Ranunculus sardous or possibly Oenanthe crocata), known as either σαρδάνη or σαρδόνιον. When eaten, it would cause the eater's face to contort in a look resembling scorn (generally followed by death). It might also be related to σαίρω (“to grin”). The related term sardoin, as gentilic, is ultimately derived from σάρδιον from Σάρδεις, referring to Sardis in Lydia or Sart in Manisa, Turkey; other sources reference Sardonian from Σαρδόνιος (“from Sardinia”).
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA