What does sarcastic mean?
Word: Sarcastic
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Sarcastic means saying the opposite of what you mean, to make fun of someone or to show that you are annoyed.
Synonyms: sneering, scornful
Antonyms: sincere, kind
How do you spell sarcastic?
Syllables: sar - cas - tic
Tricky part: Both hard k sounds are written with a plain c, and there is no k at the end. Students write sarkastic, sarcastick or sarcastik.
Watch out for: sarkastic, sarcastick, sarcastik
Memory tip: Picture a sarcastic cat in a crown: one c for the cat, one c for the crown, and no k anywhere.
Sarcastic in a sentence
Example 1: When I spilt the milk, my sister said in a sarcastic voice, "Well done, champion."
Example 2: Our coach is never sarcastic; she explains our mistakes kindly.
Example 3: Hana's sarcastic reply made the whole table laugh, except Ivan.
Fun Fact
Sarcastic comes from Greek, through a verb that came to mean to sneer or to speak bitterly. English has used it since the late 1600s.
Practise the CREST Way
Spellacadabra
Choose the option in which the following letters will fit in the given order:
a, a, i
a) m__j__st__c
b) __l__st__c
c) d__m__st__c
d) s__rc__st__c
Show answer
d) s__rc__st__c. Majestic, domestic and elastic each need an e somewhere; only one word takes a, a, i.
Word Champ
Choose the correct word for the blank:
'What lovely weather for a picnic,' Omar said in a ___ tone as the rain poured down on our sandwiches.
a) sarcastic
b) anxious
c) sympathetic
d) apologetic
Show answer
a) sarcastic. Omar says the opposite of what he means, so his tone is sarcastic, not sympathetic, apologetic or anxious.
Sound Check
In which word is 'c' pronounced differently?
a) sarcastic
b) comic
c) picnic
d) cinema
Show answer
d) cinema. Cinema starts with a soft s sound; sarcastic, picnic and comic keep every c hard, like k.
Spell Spies
Choose the pair which has a spelling error:
a) cheerful : glomy
b) tidy : messy
c) sarcastic : sincere
d) polite : rude
Show answer
a) cheerful : glomy. Gloomy needs a double o, as in room.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Why can sarcastic remarks hurt someone's feelings?
a) they are written down on paper
b) they are always shouted very loudly
c) they are spoken in a foreign language
d) they mock the person while pretending to praise
Show answer
d) they mock the person while pretending to praise
2. Anu said 'Great job!' when her brother dropped a plate. Because she was being sarcastic, she really meant that ___.
a) she was proud of him
b) he had been careless
c) the plate was very old
d) he had worked very hard
Show answer
b) he had been careless
