Sarcasm
Sarcasm
Sarcasm (/ˈsɑːrkæzəm/; from the Greek word σαρκασμός sarkasmos, which means "to tear flesh, bite the lip in rage, sneer") is a form of verbal irony that mocks, ridicules, or expresses contempt.
Etymology
The term originates from the Greek word "sarkasmos" which is derived from the verb "sarkazein" that initially meant "to tear flesh like a dog." Over time, it evolved to mean "to bite one's lip in rage," and finally "to sneer."
Pronunciation
Sarcasm is pronounced as /ˈsɑːrkæzəm/.
Usage
Sarcasm is often used in humor, satire, and rhetoric, and it can be understood and recognized through cues such as tone of voice and facial expression in face-to-face communication. In written language, sarcasm can be harder to detect, as it often relies on context and shared knowledge between the speaker and the listener.
Related Terms
- Irony: A rhetorical device, literary technique, or event in which what appears, on the surface, to be the case, differs radically from what is actually the case.
- Satire: A genre of literature, and sometimes graphic and performing arts, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, corporations, government, or society itself into improvement.
- Rhetoric: The art of persuasion, which along with grammar and logic, is one of the three ancient arts of discourse.
This WikiMD.org article is a stub. You can help make it a full article.