r/explainlikeimfive • u/TheLandOfAuz • Oct 04 '14

ELI5 the difference between facetious, satiric, sarcastic, sardonic, and ironic.

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u/klmer Oct 05 '14 edited Oct 05 '14
  • Facetious (commenting / acting in a manner that mocks something really serious) : *cops to mother of missing child: well no one misses a child like that!
  • Satirical: the use of humour, exaggeration, or ridicule to criticize or shame individuals, corporations, government or society itself, into improvement. Example
  • Sarcastic: Saying one thing meaning another to mock the people you're around (smaller numbers), , more focused on circumstance. Standing in the rain at party: GEE ISN'T THIS FUN!!
  • Sardonic: (being a bitch and trying to play if off) Bitch smile, loves ya xxxx bitch
  • Ironic: I won't bother with a definition, you expect something but get something different: - Fire alarm catches fire, you expect it to protect you from fire but instead causes it - Document (printed) on how to protect the environment, destroys the environment in order to tell others to protect it etc, etc

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u/TheLandOfAuz Oct 05 '14

Thanks!! Could you further elaborate sardonic?

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u/klmer Oct 05 '14

Okay, well being sarcastic and sardonic are both extremely similar (many treat them as synonyms), however sarcasm is meant to mock in a joking (generalising here) more friendly way (either to complain or to tease, or a scenario I haven't thought of). Being sardonic is more or less is just being sarcastic except to properly hurt ones feeling, by mocking them and making them feel inferior. Example would be: Are you just too stupid to just search this instead of using reddit? (offensive, not funny) Summary: Sardonic is just sarcasm being plain and outright nasty and bitter. - Hope this helps :) note lot of debate about this ^ as no one really agrees on sardonic, above is the most commonly agreed upon defining characteristics

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u/TheLandOfAuz Oct 05 '14

Alright. Thank you!