The rare daily word game sweeping the globe. Find what's hidden in plain sight.
SARDONIC
Definition of SARDONIC
adjective
Scornfully mocking or cynical.
Wiktionary · CC BY-SA
Where it comes from
From French sardonique, from Latin sardonius, from Ancient Greek σαρδόνιος (sardónios), alternative form of σαρδάνιος (sardánios, “bitter or scornful laughter”), which is often cited as deriving from the Sardinian plant (Ranunculus sardous or possibly Oenanthe crocata), known as either σαρδάνη (sardánē) or σαρδόνιον (sardónion). When eaten, it would cause the eater's face to contort in a look resembling scorn (generally followed by death). It might also be related to σαίρω (saírō, “to grin”). The related term sardoin, as gentilic, is ultimately derived from σάρδιον (sárdion) from Σάρδεις (Sárdeis), referring to Sardis in Lydia or Sart in Manisa, Turkey; other sources reference Sardonian from Σαρδόνιος (Sardónios, “from Sardinia”).
Etymology via Wiktionary (CC BY-SA).
Word DNA
Line of descent
- Ancient Greek
- Latin
- French
- English
3 recorded generations before English.
Deepest traced root
2nd
of 59 source languages in OUTLIER
12.6%
of traced words share this origin (3,789)
branch · 12.6% of traced words
How it is built
OUTLIER scores every word on how unusual it is, and that number is not published. Working it out at the board is the game.
SARDONIC in OUTLIER
Players have found it on 87 boards so far. 314 players have found it across Outlier's history.
It first turned up on Day 6, 27 May 2026. The most recent board was Day 149, 16 October 2026. Nobody has seen it on a board for 4 days.
First ever to find it
on Day 6, 27 May 2026 - before anyone else in Outlier's history. See the Pioneers
Built from these letters
SARDONIC starts with S and ends with C. Sorted, its letters read ACDINORS - the shape to hunt for when the grid is scrambled. No letter is used twice, which makes it an isogram.
Words that start SARDON
Its neighbours in the OUTLIER dictionary - shortest first.
Also seen on Day 6
Could you have found SARDONIC?
OUTLIER is a daily word game. One grid, the same grid for everybody, and the words nobody else spots are the ones that pay. This word was on Day 6 - and most players walked straight past it.
Play today's OUTLIER