1
as in bitter
causing intense discomfort to one's skin
a biting wind that only the toughest football fans were willing to endure
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Michael Lewis, Forbes.com, 4 Sep. 2025
The characters have this sharp, biting, British humor.
—Alex Ritman, Variety, 28 Aug. 2025
Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 3 Oct. 2025
With hundreds of Elanco employees gathered with blue confetti at the ready, Indy, a rescue shelter dog turned service-dog-in-training, performed the official ribbon cutting, or in this case ribbon biting.
—Alysa Guffey, IndyStar, 2 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for biting
Adjective
But that wasn’t the only biting incident as the Uruguayan bit Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic and was slapped with a 10-match suspension.
—Michael Lewis, Forbes.com, 4 Sep. 2025
The characters have this sharp, biting, British humor.
—Alex Ritman, Variety, 28 Aug. 2025
Verb
There's nothing quite like biting into a sweet, perfectly ripe pear.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 3 Oct. 2025
With hundreds of Elanco employees gathered with blue confetti at the ready, Indy, a rescue shelter dog turned service-dog-in-training, performed the official ribbon cutting, or in this case ribbon biting.
—Alysa Guffey, IndyStar, 2 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for biting
Recent Examples of Synonyms for biting
Adjective
-
The Free Press, which Paramount bought for about $150 million, paints itself as a voice of the center but draws its energy from the bitter US culture wars.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
13 Oct. 2025
-
There were glimmers of hope, even in bitter defeat, for the reigning AFC champions.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
12 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
As a model named Carl, stuck in a relationship corrupted by microcelebrity and Instagram view counts, Dickinson ticks with exasperation and sarcastic logic, his jaw clenched, his eyes wide and staring.—
Carrie Battan,
Vulture,
6 Oct. 2025
-
Following the mother-daughter duo of Lorelai Gilmore, played by Lauren Graham, and Rory, played by Alexis Bledel, Gilmore Girls was perfectly made for millennials, packed with wistful romances, frustrating dramatic turns and just enough sarcastic jokes.—
Stephanie Sengwe,
PEOPLE,
5 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Eddie is happy to sit in the corner with Shane, sucking on his new veneers, and let the women tear each other to shreds, never getting involved.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
10 Oct. 2025
-
The Toronto Blue Jays spent three innings sucking the air out of Yankee Stadium.—
Mitch Bannon,
New York Times,
8 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Dashcam Deals The Rove R2-4K Dual dash cam features 4K front and 1080p rear recording, giving you sharp coverage of everything happening around your car, day or night.—
Jade Chung-Lee,
PC Magazine,
8 Oct. 2025
-
Trump’s trade penalties are expected to be in sharp focus when global finance leaders and central bankers gather.—
Jessica Coacci,
Fortune,
8 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
To be fair, some of the comments are also satirical.—
Bill Goodykoontz,
AZCentral.com,
14 Oct. 2025
-
An effort last year to have the satirical site The Onion purchase Infowars through an auction process was initially rejected by a judge.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
14 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
In the end, however, Disney handed a stinging defeat to Peltz.—
Morgan Chittum,
CNBC,
2 Oct. 2025
-
Marques Brownlee, known as MKBHD on YouTube and other social media channels, has already boiled down his thoughts to a stinging verdict.—
Alex Harrington,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
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
-
Since the war began in Gaza, more than six months ago, the Israeli magazine +972 has published some of the most penetrating reporting on the Israel Defense Forces’ conduct.—
Isaac Chotiner,
The New Yorker,
12 Apr. 2024
Adjective
-
Watch this just for all the quick lands and barbed moments here alone.—
Andy Hoglund,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 Oct. 2025
-
Meanwhile, a story from Indiana explains how one bird species skewers its prey on barbed wire, then returns for it later.—
Dinah Voyles Pulver,
USA Today,
3 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Biting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/biting. Accessed 16 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share