as in sarcastic
marked by the use of wit that is intended to cause hurt feelings
a professor with a rather acerb sense of humor
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for acerb
Adjective
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Following the mother-daughter duo of Lorelai Gilmore, played by Lauren Graham, and Rory, played by Alexis Bledel, Gilmore Girls was perfectly made for millennials, packed with wistful romances, frustrating dramatic turns and just enough sarcastic jokes.—
Stephanie Sengwe,
PEOPLE,
5 Oct. 2025 -
Viewers on Reddit were amused by the extortionate price shown for the vacation deal in the recent post, with several sharing their sarcastic takes on it.—
Soo Kim,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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And the show has to be satirical.—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
28 Sep. 2025
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Kuang's latest is a satirical look at the brutal nature of academia.—
Carly Tagen-Dye,
PEOPLE,
27 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Drinking coffee may stimulate an increase in acid production in the stomach.—
Carrie Madormo,
Verywell Health,
6 Sep. 2025
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This touchscreen pod machine has a lot to offer, including rich, balanced, coffee; a whopping eight brewing sizes; one-touch presets for low-acid, Americano, iced coffee, and cold brew; plus customizable temperature control and brew strength.—
Mark Marino,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
29 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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One way is when iron-rich rock is exposed to high temperatures and acidic conditions, but neither are evident in the area around Cheyava Falls.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
1 Oct. 2025
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That occurs when the body runs out of insulin and starts burning fat for fuel, which can lead the blood to become dangerously acidic.—
Jonathan Lambert,
NPR,
29 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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There are no spools of barbed wire atop its fences or looming guard towers to announce its purpose.—
Shirsho Dasgupta,
Miami Herald,
26 Sep. 2025
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The pair have traded many barbed comments since Khan was elected to lead London in 2016 — Khan strongly criticized the president the same year for pledging a travel ban on a number of majority-Muslim countries, which was enacted in 2017.—
Patrick Smith,
NBC news,
24 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Throughout the day, as the professor’s thoughts cascade from Dostoyevsky to YouTube fitness influencers, nearly every one of Castro’s acerbic, unfiltered paragraphs contains a bristling insight about literature, weight lifting, or academic politics.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
29 Sep. 2025
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Standouts in the cat-boutique vocal cast include Donovan Patton as the acerbic CatRat, Julien Donenfield as Cakey the cupcake, and Maggie Lowe as the innocent Baby Box, who’s got a head like a small house.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
24 Sep. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Acerb.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/acerb. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
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