Satire is a form — writing, film or art that uses humour, irony or exaggeration to criticise something, usually a person in power, an institution or a whole set of ideas. Sarcasm is a tone: a mocking remark, generally aimed at an individual and generally in the moment. Satire is constructed; sarcasm is said.
The core difference
One is a genre, the other a manner of speaking. They overlap because satire often uses sarcasm as one of its tools.
- satire — a work with a target and a point: Gulliver's Travels, a satirical news site, a political cartoon.
- sarcasm — a remark meaning the opposite of what it says, usually to mock: "Nice of you to turn up."
Irony, the third term
Irony is the wider device both draw on — saying one thing and meaning another, or an outcome contrary to expectation. Sarcasm is essentially irony with intent to wound; satire is irony organised into a work with a purpose.
Where the words come from
Sarcasm is from Greek sarkazein, to tear flesh — which is a fair description of its effect. Satire is from Latin satura, a medley or mixed dish, reflecting its origins as a form that mixed subjects and registers.
