sarcasm

noun

ˈsär-ˌka-zəm How to pronounce sarcasm (audio)
Definition of sarcasmnext
as in insult
an act or expression showing scorn and usually intended to hurt another's feelings I know you're not happy, but there's no need to resort to petty sarcasms to make your point

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of sarcasm Gellerbrant said her posts were taken out of context and were meant as irony and sarcasm. — ABC News, 11 Sep. 2026 The other presidents had some semblance of comedic appreciation, whether through cynicism, irony, sarcasm, joke-telling, joke appreciation or storytelling. — John Blumenthal, Chicago Tribune, 16 Aug. 2026 Like all of Roth’s content, there is a mix of dead seriousness, dry sarcasm, and wondrous joy in equal measure. — Marisa Meltzer, Vanity Fair, 12 Aug. 2026 Back on the main stage, Mumford also stripped away the silliness and sarcasm. — Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 10 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for sarcasm
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sarcasm
  1. insult
  2. outrage
Noun
  • A lot of that is studying how dry bone, fresh bone, bone that is exposed to different types of forces will react to different types of insults.
    — Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Still, Nintendo understands, more than most of its rivals, that family-friendly gaming doesn’t have to be an insult.
    — Jordan Minor, PC Magazine, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of insult
Noun
  • The woman’s lawsuit, filed last month, ignited national outrage over how Cornell and the local district attorney’s office handled her accusations.
    — Claire Healy, Miami Herald, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Around the time the outrage reached a fever pitch, however, the completion date was announced.
    — Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of outrage

Browse Nearby Words

saps
sarcasm
sarcasms
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Sarcasm.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sarcasm. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on sarcasm

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about sarcasm

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All