: characterized by insincerity, irony, or whimsical exaggeration
: with insincerity, irony, or whimsical exaggeration
Examples of tongue-in-cheek in a Sentence
Adverb
The whole interview was done tongue in cheek.
Recent Examples on the Web
Liz Regalia,
Parents,
23 June 2026
The two traced the story of the show back to their first meeting in 2011, realized on screen at the presentation with a tongue-in-cheek comic panel featuring Wong complaining about their lunch.
—
Kambole Campbell,
Variety,
23 June 2026
Lisa Gutierrez,
Kansas City Star,
20 June 2026
The work is light and dark, solid and liquid, empty and busy, earnest and tongue in cheek.
—
Zachary Fine,
New Yorker,
23 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tongue-in-cheek
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Adjective
Meanwhile, sitcoms like Friends marked a movement toward irony in comedy with its trademark tongue-in-cheek banter and sarcasm, Thompson explains.
—
Liz Regalia,
Parents,
23 June 2026
The two traced the story of the show back to their first meeting in 2011, realized on screen at the presentation with a tongue-in-cheek comic panel featuring Wong complaining about their lunch.
—
Kambole Campbell,
Variety,
23 June 2026
Adverb
Swift was shown spoon-feeding him, tongue in cheek, like a fussy baby in a restaurant.
—
Lisa Gutierrez,
Kansas City Star,
20 June 2026
The work is light and dark, solid and liquid, empty and busy, earnest and tongue in cheek.
—
Zachary Fine,
New Yorker,
23 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tongue-in-cheek
Cite this Entry
“Tongue-in-cheek.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tongue-in-cheek. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.
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