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
That acerbic wit, who designed to be at the center of things.
—
Mia Galuppo,
HollywoodReporter,
17 May 2026
Critic Rex Reed, who died Tuesday at 87, built his career on savage, acerbic reviews delivered with little restraint, earning a reputation as a provocateur.
—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026
Her grandmother though is amused and amusing, fierce and surprising, allowed to be acerbic and to talk to her granddaughter about (literally) life and death topics rather than just dolls and baking and memories.
—
Literary Hub,
7 May 2026
Her acerbic inner monologue (voiced by tennis legend John McEnroe) is a clever meta-commentary on her rage issues, but the lead actress is still the series’ highlight.
—
Andrew Walsh,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for acerbic
Mia Galuppo,
HollywoodReporter,
17 May 2026
Critic Rex Reed, who died Tuesday at 87, built his career on savage, acerbic reviews delivered with little restraint, earning a reputation as a provocateur.
—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026
Her grandmother though is amused and amusing, fierce and surprising, allowed to be acerbic and to talk to her granddaughter about (literally) life and death topics rather than just dolls and baking and memories.
—
Literary Hub,
7 May 2026
Her acerbic inner monologue (voiced by tennis legend John McEnroe) is a clever meta-commentary on her rage issues, but the lead actress is still the series’ highlight.
—
Andrew Walsh,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for acerbic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for acerbic
Adjective
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There were the polite claps after good attacks by the Swiss, sarcastic whistles by the Qatari fans after their team again failed to mount a threat.
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When the 10th batter (Dalton Rushing) struck out for the first out of the inning, the diminished number of Pirates fans still on hand gave a sarcastic cheer for their team’s stick-to-itiveness.
Adjective
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The student was referencing a line from the 1974 satirical film Blazing Saddles, a movie co-written by Richard Pryor.
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Early says that the movie takes much of its aesthetic and satirical cues from director Paul Verhoeven’s films Showgirls (1995) and Starship Troopers (1997).
Adjective
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Some require extreme heat or highly acidic conditions.
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Blooming from late spring to summer and growing well in USDA Zones 7 to 11, gardenias prefer bright, indirect light, acidic, consistently moist soil, and regular feeding with an acidic fertilizer.
Adjective
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Devil's Rope Museum in McLean, Texas Roughly an hour's drive from Amarillo, the Devil's Rope Museum is an interesting stop, with exhibits dedicated to the history of Route 66 in Texas, as well as the importance of barbed wire and its impact on the American West.
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Johnson was initially refused entry, but got inside by using a set of stairs to hop a barbed wire fence, prosecutors said.
Adjective
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De la Espriella also represented some high-profile victims, including Natalia Ponce de León, who was the target of an acid attack in 2014, and Rosa Elvira Cely, whose murder in 2012 generated national outrage and led to the creation of Colombia’s femicide laws.
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New York — In New York’s Hudson Valley, the artist Anicka Yi has erected columns bursting with mercurial microbial life, in hues of acid green and coffee, arranged like an archaeological dig at Storm King Art Center.
Cite this Entry
“Acerbic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/acerbic. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.
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