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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 (gcide)

Sardonic \Sar*don"ic\, a.
Of, pertaining to, or resembling, a kind of linen made at
Colchis.
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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.
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Where strained, sardonic smiles are glozing still,
And grief is forced to laugh against her will. --Sir H.
Wotton.
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The scornful, ferocious, sardonic grin of a bloody
ruffian. --Burke.
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{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.
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