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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Even an otherwise neutral comment can be contorted into a sarcastic retort, an insult or a counterattack.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
7 Sep. 2025 -
On the par-4 14th, Scheffler splashed out of a greenside bunker to 10 feet, missed the par putt, and then, without hesitation, threw a sarcastic fist pump toward the hole.—
Devlina Sarkar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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His upcoming credits included Ruben Östlund's satirical black comedy The Entertainment System is Down, also set to star Keanu Reeves, Kirsten Dunst, and Woody Harrelson.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
2 Sep. 2025
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The movie is an adaptation of Donald Westlake’s 1997 satirical thriller The Ax, which was also adapted by the great Costa Gavras in 2005.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
31 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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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
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How does the new silver extraction method work The technology, known as Jet Electrochemical Silver Extraction (JESE), uses a fine stream of weak acid to dissolve silver directly from the panel surface in seconds—the acid stream targets only the silver, leaving everything else untouched.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Over time, the egg white becomes more acidic.—
Merve Ceylan,
Health,
2 Sep. 2025
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Three million gallons of acidic mine drainage flooded into the Animas River basin 10 years ago, turning the southern Colorado river a mustard yellow and making international headlines.—
Elise Schmelzer,
Denver Post,
31 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Thailand says the barbed wire was set up to prevent the planting of mines and is on its own land.—
Matthew Tostevin,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Aug. 2025
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No one else writes with such wounding, barbed wit.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
27 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Where the strain required for a tenor to hit that upper register lends these verses an acerbic, explosive edge, a countertenor can approach the same lines with lamblike lyricism, as Mobley did.—
Hannah Edgar,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Aug. 2025
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That movie was an acerbic portrait of a friendship gone sour, laced with barbed insults.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
6 Aug. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Acerb.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/acerb. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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