as in sarcastic
marked by the use of wit that is intended to cause hurt feelings
whispered a steady stream of acerbic comments as the lecturer droned on
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Recent Examples of acerbic
Lavery’s protagonist in Meeting New People is an acerbic older woman named Barbara, who is trying to optimize her next and potentially last friendship by analyzing what went wrong with failed best friendships in the past.
—
Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Jan. 2026
Those med students, cocky know-it-all Ogilvy (Lucas Iverson) and acerbic, perceptive Joy (Irene Choi), are drops in a flood of new faces that mark one of the few ways a show set in a single place can meaningfully scale up.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 5 Jan. 2026
During her speech, Paulson shared a bunch of text messages Keaton had sent her over the years, all of which were at once warm and acerbic, kind and a playfully combative.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 5 Jan. 2026
The book adaptation was earlier in the works at HBO Max as Amazon MGM Studio has greenlit an eight-episode young adult romance series about Campbell Cooper, an acerbic teenager dying of cancer.
—Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 16 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for acerbic
Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Jan. 2026
Those med students, cocky know-it-all Ogilvy (Lucas Iverson) and acerbic, perceptive Joy (Irene Choi), are drops in a flood of new faces that mark one of the few ways a show set in a single place can meaningfully scale up.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 5 Jan. 2026
During her speech, Paulson shared a bunch of text messages Keaton had sent her over the years, all of which were at once warm and acerbic, kind and a playfully combative.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 5 Jan. 2026
The book adaptation was earlier in the works at HBO Max as Amazon MGM Studio has greenlit an eight-episode young adult romance series about Campbell Cooper, an acerbic teenager dying of cancer.
—Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 16 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for acerbic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for acerbic
Adjective
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Tom Lester played Eb Dawson, the Douglases' sarcastic young farmhand.—
Meredith Wilshere,
PEOPLE,
25 Jan. 2026
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The worse things are going, the more bitter and sarcastic my humor sometimes gets.—
Kenna Hughes-Castleberry,
Space.com,
24 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Libby has a good ear for corporate doublespeak and probably another satirical play in him about whatever goes on at this company’s Taco Tuesday, but Data sticks to a staunchly instructive spirit.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
29 Jan. 2026
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The year got underway with Playboy Manbaby releasing their first album since 2018, a satirical takedown of life as know it in 2026.—
Ed Masley,
AZCentral.com,
26 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Mushy, wrinkled, moldy, or acidic-smelling grapes should only be food for your compost.—
Karla Walsh,
Better Homes & Gardens,
30 Jan. 2026
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Dark roasts are less acidic than other roasts.—
Emily Santora,
Health,
30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Much of the comedy in this action-comedy arrives via barbed exchanges between the constantly bickering James and Jonny.—
Richard Kuipers,
Variety,
26 Jan. 2026
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Crews on Monday appear to be adding barbed wire atop cement barricades already wrapped around the building — measures no doubt added in response to a consistent group of protestors committed to gathering daily outside the complex near Fort Snelling.—
WCCO Staff,
CBS News,
13 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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What’s lacking is acid, some tang, to cut through the excess of richness.—
Bill Addison,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Jan. 2026
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What begins as a slow, lumbering triplet rhythm gradually morphs into a fleet and elegant quasi-acid jam; drums that start off gently turn tough and clattering before the whole thing fades out in a soft sunset glow.—
Philip Sherburne,
Pitchfork,
14 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Acerbic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/acerbic. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.
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