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
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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
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Recent Examples of biting
Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 10 Dec. 2025
While often lumped in with punk, the Fall experimented with multiple styles over the years, with Smith’s biting wit and inimitable delivery serving as constants.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 27 Nov. 2025
Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 13 Feb. 2026
And for now, the McCaskeys aren’t biting.
—David Greising, Chicago Tribune, 13 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for biting
Adjective
The non-biting midge resembles a rice grain and survives in damp moss and algae along the Antarctic Peninsula.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 10 Dec. 2025
While often lumped in with punk, the Fall experimented with multiple styles over the years, with Smith’s biting wit and inimitable delivery serving as constants.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 27 Nov. 2025
Verb
In the film’s first trailer, its biting energy is on full display, as its winking humor.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 13 Feb. 2026
And for now, the McCaskeys aren’t biting.
—David Greising, Chicago Tribune, 13 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for biting
Recent Examples of Synonyms for biting
Adjective
-
Although its effectiveness as a cure-all hasn’t been entirely confirmed by science, there are a few significant reasons to consider trying this bitter-tasting tea.—
PubSubHub User,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Feb. 2026
-
The appearance in northwest Georgia comes weeks after the FBI raided Fulton County’s elections center and seized truckloads of 2020 ballots, reigniting bitter political divides over the president’s attempt to undo his narrow defeat here six years ago.—
Greg Bluestein,
AJC.com,
16 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Tom Lester played Eb Dawson, the Douglases' sarcastic young farmhand.—
Meredith Wilshere,
PEOPLE,
25 Jan. 2026
-
The worse things are going, the more bitter and sarcastic my humor sometimes gets.—
Kenna Hughes-Castleberry,
Space.com,
24 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Poly means many and ticks are blood-sucking insects.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
17 Feb. 2026
-
There are countless benefits to owning a well-functioning vacuum cleaner—picking up debris and sucking up allergens are just the beginning.—
Quincy Bulin,
Southern Living,
13 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The crab is mixed with extra-sharp Cheddar for boldness and cream cheese and Havarti for creaminess.—
Lisa Cericola,
Southern Living,
15 Feb. 2026
-
Using scissors, or knives that aren’t sharp may crush the vascular tissue and prevent the flowers from taking up water, leading to faster decline.—
Heather Zidack,
Hartford Courant,
15 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Turner stars in Rosebush Pruning, a satirical tragicomedy thriller, alongside Pamela Anderson, Elle Fanning, Jamie Bell, and Lukas Gage.—
Meg Walters,
InStyle,
15 Feb. 2026
-
After the success of Rob Reiner’s 1984 satirical classic This Is Spinal Tap, which counts Guest as a star and co-writer, the latter returned to the mockumentary genre with Guffman, focusing on the quirky residents of a small town producing a stage musical to celebrate their history.—
Ryan Gajewski,
HollywoodReporter,
11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Those, and other comments, had surprised some onlookers, and led to author Arundhati Roy cancelling her visit to the festival and penning a stinging rebuke.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
14 Feb. 2026
-
After a stinging loss at Wichita State over the weekend, Memphis basketball coach Penny Hardaway is still figuring out why the Tigers aren't playing their best.—
Corinne S Kennedy,
Memphis Commercial Appeal,
25 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
These corporations are enabling violence on the streets and death behind barbed wire.—
Robert B. Reich,
Hartford Courant,
12 Feb. 2026
-
Reams of barbed wire gathered from the fields around Penpont were fashioned into a mesh curtain whose ends wrapped around two columns at the top of the museum’s grand staircase; the result was both alluring and forbidding.—
Rebecca Mead,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
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
Cite this Entry
“Biting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/biting. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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