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acerb

adjective

ə-ˈsərb How to pronounce acerb (audio)
Definition of acerbnext
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
  1. sarcastic
  2. satiric
  3. acid
  4. acidic
  5. barbed
  6. acerbic
Adjective
  • Starring Andrew Scott as British actor Ian Charleson, who throws himself into playing Hamlet while succumbing to AIDS, the film’s ensemble cast features Dolan as the sarcastic receptionist at the National Theatre in London.
    — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 10 Sep. 2026
  • The sarcastic Chandler Bing (Matthew Perry) and affable actor Joey Tribbiani (Matt LeBlanc) are among her favorite characters.
    — Mack DeGeurin, Popular Science, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of sarcastic
Adjective
  • According to The Jerusalem Post, Malkovich is scheduled to return to Tel Aviv for the satirical theatrical-musical production on April 13 at the Charles Bronfman Auditorium.
    — Lexi Carson, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Critics have long speculated that his depiction was satirical—that the first utopian literary work was, at least in part, dystopian.
    — Boris Kachka, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of satiric
Adjective
  • The idea that these two would have a five-minute-or-less breakup conversation, then plop down on the couch and happily embark on an acid trip together, strains credulity a little, even for this bizarre, codependent friend group.
    — Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026
  • In a sequencer that resembled a large fridge, millions of short nucleic-acid fragments would be identified in the span of ten hours.
    — Jason Liebowitz, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of acid
Adjective
  • Editor Cam McLauchlin never cuts them into mere blitzes of limbs and blood, though DP Katelin Arizmendi’s acidic palette of yellows, greens and corporeal streaks of red does lend the realism a kind of pop-art splendor.
    — Guy Lodge, Variety, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Black gum will adapt to most soil conditions, but must be planted in acidic soil.
    — Arricca Elin SanSone, Southern Living, 12 Sep. 2026
Definition of acidic
Adjective
  • There are plenty of Ostalgie museums in today’s united Germany, furnished with memorabilia of the German Democratic Republic, from twigs of barbed wire to Trabant gearboxes.
    — Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Across the lot in an unused patch of pavement, pops of bright orange and yellow reach skyward toward the imposing barbed wire that’s laced atop metal security bars.
    — Leigh-Ann Jackson, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of barbed
Adjective
  • Yiannopoulos’ acerbic and at times hateful speech attracted the fury of students who argued his views should not be platformed.
    — Eduardo Cuevas, CNN Money, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Malgorzata Szumowska, Michal Englert) Aimee Lou Wood and Johnny Flynn are superb as Anna and Fyodor Dostoevsky in Małgorzata Szumowska and Michał Englert’s acerbic and joyful period film.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of acerbic
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.

Browse Nearby Words

acequias
acerb
acerbic
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Cite this Entry

“Acerb.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/acerb. Accessed 17 Sep. 2026.

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