sarcastic

Everyday

Sarcastic means saying the opposite of what you mean, in a mocking way, to make fun of someone or show you are annoyed. tree →

In the lessons

In English lessons and stories it is a tone of voice: «Oh, great,» she said sarcastically, when it started to rain. Children must learn to spot it, because the words mean the opposite. Phrases: «a sarcastic comment», «be sarcastic», «sarcastically».

Examples

• «Oh, brilliant, more homework,» he said in a sarcastic voice. tree →
• Don't be sarcastic with your teacher. tree →
• She gave a sarcastic laugh. tree →
• «Nice of you to turn up,» said the coach sarcastically when Tom came late. tree →
• His sarcastic remarks hurt my feelings. tree →
• Was that a real compliment or were you being sarcastic? tree →
• Still he kept up a flow of sarcastic talk, just to exercise his wits and to have the fun of disputing. tree →

Note

Noun: sarcasm; adverb: sarcastically. Sarcasm is a kind of irony meant to mock. In writing, the words alone may look like praise; the situation shows the real meaning. If a sarcastic speaker says «Great, we lost 5–0», he means it is bad.