sardonic laugh

1 definition found

sardonic laugh - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Sardonic \Sar*don"ic\, a. [F. sardonique, L. sardonius, Gr. ?,
     ?, perhaps fr. ? to grin like a dog, or from a certain plant
     of Sardinia, Gr. ?, which was said to screw up the face of
     the eater.]
     Forced; unnatural; insincere; hence, derisive, mocking,
     malignant, or bitterly sarcastic; -- applied only to a laugh,
     smile, or some facial semblance of gayety.
     [1913 Webster]
  
           Where strained, sardonic smiles are glozing still,
           And grief is forced to laugh against her will. --Sir H.
                                                    Wotton.
     [1913 Webster]
  
           The scornful, ferocious, sardonic grin of a bloody
           ruffian.                                 --Burke.
     [1913 Webster]
  
     Sardonic grin or Sardonic laugh, an old medical term for
        a spasmodic affection of the muscles of the face, giving
        it an appearance of laughter.
        [1913 Webster]