mordant

adjective

mor·​dant ˈmȯr-dᵊnt How to pronounce mordant (audio)
Synonyms of mordant
1
: biting and caustic in thought, manner, or style : incisive
a mordant wit
2
: acting as a mordant (as in dyeing)
3
: burning, pungent
mordant pain
mordantly adverb

Did you know?

The etymology of mordant certainly has some bite to it. That word, which came to modern English through Middle French, ultimately derives from the Latin verb mordēre, which means "to bite." In modern parlance, mordant usually suggests a wit that is used with deadly effectiveness. Mordēre puts the bite into other English terms, too. For instance, that root gave us the tasty morsel ("a tiny bite"). But nibble too many of those and you'll likely be hit by another mordēre derivative: remorse ("guilt for past wrongs"), which comes from Latin remordēre, meaning "to bite again."

Choose the Right Synonym for mordant

caustic, mordant, acrid, scathing mean stingingly incisive.

caustic suggests a biting wit.

caustic comments

mordant suggests a wit that is used with deadly effectiveness.

mordant reviews of the play

acrid implies bitterness and often malevolence.

acrid invective

scathing implies indignant attacks delivered with fierce severity.

a scathing satire

Examples of mordant in a Sentence

a writer famous for her mordant humor a mordant review of the movie that compared it to having one's teeth pulled for two hours
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.
But the main model is Humphrey Bogart, whose looks Cage’s recall more than a little; Bogart played Sam Spade and Philip Marlowe in the films most associated with those characters, whose mordant humor creator-writer Oren Uziel seeks to replicate here, with fair success. Television Critic, Los Angeles Times, 25 May 2026 That a film with such mordant humor can still land with the dramatic weight of its final act puts the film over the top and cements Panahi as a filmmaker of unique skill and piercing insight. Joe Reid, Vulture, 10 Mar. 2026 Like much of the Coens’ work, these are tragedies tinged with mordant humor and punctuated by the bleakest twists of fate. Sezin Devi Keohler, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Mar. 2026 Nemens’s absurd, mordant outlook keeps the story from resembling a soap opera, as does her pitch-black sense of humor. New York Times, 3 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for mordant

Word History

Etymology

Middle French, present participle of mordre to bite, from Latin mordēre; perhaps akin to Sanskrit mṛdnāti he presses, rubs

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of mordant was in the 15th century

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Cite this Entry

“Mordant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mordant. Accessed 12 Jun. 2026.

Kids Definition

mordant

adjective
mor·​dant
ˈmȯrd-ᵊnt
: sarcastic, biting
mordant criticism

Medical Definition

mordant

noun
mor·​dant ˈmȯrd-ᵊnt How to pronounce mordant (audio)
: a chemical that fixes a dye in or on a substance by combining with the dye to form an insoluble compound
mordant transitive verb

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