BITING Synonyms: 108 Similar and Opposite Words

biting 1 of 2

adjective

ˈbī-tiŋ

Definition of biting

as in bitter

causing intense discomfort to one's skin a biting wind that only the toughest football fans were willing to endure

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in sarcastic

marked by the use of wit that is intended to cause hurt feelings the biting comments by the pundits about the government's inaction

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

biting

2 of 2

verb

present participle of bite, informal + sometimes impolite

as in sucking

to be objectionable or unsatisfactory man, that really bites that you have to work on the weekend

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of biting

Adjective

These pesky, tiny biting insects can be a nuisance and prevent you from enjoying time outside in your yard. — Lauren David, Southern Living, 29 May 2026 Netflix’s big comedy bet might be the Dan Levy–Rachel Sennott co-creation Big Mistakes; the biting, farcical series about adult siblings who get caught up in the drug business plays like Weeds crossed with The Other Two. — Joe Reid, Vulture, 2 May 2026

Verb

The filing accused him of biting Atiabi’s shoulder, biting another woman’s thumb and directing an anti-Semitic slur at a guest. — Alejandro Avila Outkick, FOXNews.com, 2 Sep. 2026 What could be better than a book that can be read in one long gasp and which blends Wharton’s biting social commentary with sublime flights about the body and the seasons? — Merve Emre, New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for biting

Recent Examples of Synonyms for biting

Adjective

These included bitter title fights and tangles with his former teammate Nico Rosberg, plus flashpoints with Valtteri Bottas and Russell.

— Madeline Coleman, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
At Joontos, the chefs concoct dishes such as the batata harra, which recalls patatas bravas with black lime—a pervasive, earthy-bitter top note in Saudi cuisine.

— Ruby Tandoh, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2026

Definition of bitter

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

Verb

The public may also be more ready to hear the message right now, at a time of growing concerns about energy-sucking AI data centers and about AI’s future impact on jobs.

— Emily Forlini, Fortune, 10 Sep. 2026
It’s been a decade since the company best known for sucking up hair balls and dust bunnies blew with great force into the beauty business.

— Jenny Bailly, Allure, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of sucking

Adjective

Danish filmmaker May el-Toukhy, one of the two female directors competing for the Golden Lion this year, in Venice with a sharp, searing analysis of the women thrown to the wolves in the aftermath of World War II.

— Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 6 Sep. 2026
The fruits are enjoyed by birds, and deer tend to avoid this shrub, most likely due to the sharp spines.

— Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 6 Sep. 2026

Definition of sharp

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

Biting and stinging arthropods, such as wasps, mosquitos and spiders, account for five states.

— Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 3 Aug. 2026
That move came just as the clock was running out Friday on stopgap levies the president imposed after a stinging defeat for other tariffs at the Supreme Court.

— ABC News, ABC News, 24 July 2026

Definition of stinging

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

There are two types of TBIs, penetrating and non-penetrating.

— Connie Etermadi, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2026
One spring day in Paris many years ago, my wife, Diana, a most penetrating photographer, capable of seeing like no one else, decided, as an experiment, to walk across the city blindfolded.

— Hisham Matar, Harper's Magazine, 2 Aug. 2024