as in bitterness
biting sharpness of feeling or expression
the surprising mordancy with which the two physicians contested each other's claim to having discovered an effective vaccine for polio
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 mordancy
But Lloyd’s version brims with mordancy.
—
Sarah Weinman, New York Times, 10 Feb. 2023
The gray-tint, cross-hatched drawings evoke George Cruikshank and Samuel Palmer, but the mordancy is vintage Sendak.
—The Week Staff, The Week, 17 Oct. 2022
Sarah Weinman, New York Times, 10 Feb. 2023
The gray-tint, cross-hatched drawings evoke George Cruikshank and Samuel Palmer, but the mordancy is vintage Sendak.
—The Week Staff, The Week, 17 Oct. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mordancy
Noun
-
As was the case then, an inequitable solution now will further widen social and economic divisions and foment bitterness in this country.—
Robert Hormats,
Fortune,
6 Apr. 2026
-
For example, maror, or bitter herbs, represent the bitterness of slavery.—
Lucia Cheng,
Des Moines Register,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Anthropic’s researchers say Mythos Preview was able to detect thousands of high- and critical-severity bugs and software defects, with vulnerabilities identified in most major operating systems and web browsers.—
Kevin Collier,
NBC news,
8 Apr. 2026
-
The report also found that traffic signal changes put in place in 2020 had little impact on crash frequency or severity, the city said, and that crash trends on Randall Road remain generally consistent with historical averages.—
Aurora Beacon-News,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Their defensive style can look like arrogance or hostility.—
Paul Sanchez Ruiz,
The Conversation,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Out of such poverty comes hatred, resentment and a desire for revenge, and this cycle of hostility can continue for years.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
5 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The virulency of Covid-19 trained even those of us who shop locally out of principal to purchase online.—
Marc Peruzzi,
Outside Online,
2 Mar. 2021
Noun
-
To predict how an outbreak will progress, epidemiologists often use stock-and-flow diagrams: illustrations featuring stocks of people (susceptible, infected, recovered, dead) and arrows showing flows between them based on factors such as exposure or virulence.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
4 Mar. 2026
-
Genes involved in adaptation, such as those linked to virulence, metabolism or host interaction, also move with them.—
Lily Peck,
The Conversation,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Mclusky were always rooted more in bile than hormones, contempt and wit over quick-burn idealism.—
Alex Robert Ross,
Pitchfork,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Dolphins great and media star Jim Mandich suffered from bile-duct cancer in 2010.—
Dave Hyde,
Sun Sentinel,
26 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Nancy’s malice ran the gamut from the petty to the pivotal.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Officers arrested Granger on Tuesday and charged him with rape, aggravated assault, malice murder, and two counts of felony murder.—
Dan Raby,
CBS News,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Eighteen years later, Martha-Ann Alito would be recorded expressing her still-raw anger over a Washington Post column that critiqued her wardrobe.—
Peter S. Canellos,
The Atlantic,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Every game is played away from home, the atmosphere always feels hostile and the wild-west of social media means the anger and loathing persist long after a match has ended.—
Graham Scott,
New York Times,
10 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mordancy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mordancy. Accessed 11 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
