biting

adjective

bit·​ing ˈbī-tiŋ How to pronounce biting (audio)
: having the power to bite
a biting wind
especially : able to grip and impress deeply
a biting wit
bitingly adverb

Examples of biting in a Sentence

a biting wind that only the toughest football fans were willing to endure the biting comments by the pundits about the government's inaction
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The socially biting comedy comes out at a time of political unrest in Argentina under Javier Milei’s presidency, a government marked by several funding cuts to culture. Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 6 Aug. 2025 No one mentioned the annoying swarms of tiny biting midges that plague Scotland’s west coast in the summer. Angus MacKinnon, CNN Money, 3 Aug. 2025 To this day a lively, biting, macabre comedy that was controversial in its time (and banned in Franco-era Spain for its anti-elite subtext), yet its core themes still resonate with uncanny oracular power. Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 29 July 2025 In this biting novel, a fiercely independent young woman named Girlie works as a content moderator for a virtual-reality platform, Playground, that is at once a game-like diversion and an immersive therapeutic tool. The New Yorker, New Yorker, 28 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for biting

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of biting was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Biting.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/biting. Accessed 19 Aug. 2025.

Kids Definition

biting

adjective
bit·​ing ˈbīt-iŋ How to pronounce biting (audio)
: causing bodily or mental distress : sharp, cutting
biting wit
a biting cold

More from Merriam-Webster on biting

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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