Home › Glossary › Letter S

Sarcastic meaning

Concept
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

The implied meaning in a sarcastic utterance, contrary to its literal sense

Detailed Definition
Sarcastic meaning arises when a poem’s words convey the opposite of their literal sense through tone, context, or exaggeration, relying on the reader’s ability to detect the speaker’s contempt beneath a veneer of civility or praise.
Example
Example in poetry:
In “Dulce et Decorum Est,” “blood / Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs” conveys horrific reality beneath patriotic phrase; In “The Rape of the Lock,” “heroes’ wits are tossed in cards” implies triviality beneath mock-heroic surface; In Plath’s “Daddy,” “I think I may well be a Jew” uses historical trauma to express personal pain; In Eliot’s “The Waste Land,” “HURRY UP PLEASE ITS TIME” conveys spiritual emptiness beneath pub chatter.
Additional Notes
Sarcastic meaning lies beneath literal words and requires contextual decoding; often signaled by hyperbole, understatement, or tone; differs from irony by its biting intent.
Also Known As
Ironic subtext Mocking implication Derisive undertone Irony
Skip to main content