: having a sharp tongue : harsh or bitter in speech or language

Examples of sharp-tongued in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Based on a copy of the script obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, those scenes depict three moments in which Rowling — portrayed as strong-willed and sharp-tongued but far from a villain — faces off with key male figures from her life: her first book editor, her abusive ex-husband and her father. Seth Abramovitch, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 July 2024 And its theater-kid earnestness and sharp-tongued lyrics are reminiscent of another pop upstart who works with Nigro: Olivia Rodrigo. Shaad D’souza, New York Times, 22 May 2024 His icy and sharp-tongued mother (Corinna Harfouch) is dying of cancer. Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019 In Israel, the meticulous and sharp-tongued Mr. Zamir became a target of the nation’s questions and grief after Munich as one of the first Mossad chiefs to face intense public inquiry. Brian Murphy, Washington Post, 20 Jan. 2024 The critics of Measure 110 were polite but sharp-tongued. E. Tammy Kim, The New Yorker, 15 Jan. 2024 The first few internship scenes offered a glorious glimpse of the old, sharp-tongued, Type A Miranda, whose pioneering heteropessimism once balanced out the giddy romantic misadventures of her three best girlfriends. Time, 3 Aug. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sharp-tongued.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1837, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of sharp-tongued was in 1837

Dictionary Entries Near sharp-tongued

Cite this Entry

“Sharp-tongued.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sharp-tongued. Accessed 25 Oct. 2024.

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