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
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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
-
There was no jealousy, no bitterness.—
Jon Krawczynski,
New York Times,
8 Oct. 2025
-
Perhaps the bitterness refers to the alimony check?—
Jason O'Bryan,
Robb Report,
4 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The regulator emphasized the severity of the breach, noting that trust is fundamental to the relationship between broadcasters and their audiences, particularly for public service broadcasters like the BBC.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
17 Oct. 2025
-
Despite the apparent severity of the injury, Rush is still scheduled to compete in a match in Mexico tonight, October 16.—
Andrew Ravens,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Tel Aviv activists hold silent vigils mourning Gaza’s children, confronting public hostility with quiet resilience.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
14 Oct. 2025
-
The end of hostilities could also revive deals like a joint venture between BP and Abu Dhabi’s national oil company, which had been paused during the war.—
Liz Hoffman,
semafor.com,
14 Oct. 2025
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
-
One Pasteurella-like microbe carried genetic hints of virulence and has ties to deadly outbreaks in modern African elephants.—
Pranjal Malewar,
New Atlas,
30 Sep. 2025
-
While VUMs require more testing to establish their true risks to public health, VOIs are explicitly confirmed to have genetic changes that affect virus characteristics like transmissibility and virulence.—
Jack Knudson,
Discover Magazine,
9 June 2025
Noun
-
These maggots vomit and excrete illuminated threads of bile to entice tiny insects to their deaths.—
Ann Patchett,
New Yorker,
29 Sep. 2025
-
The Didi and Gogo that Sparks and Shannon created were full of blood and bile, real people with — no matter how obscured in its details by time and circumstance — a long and winding relationship.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
These materials can help Ellis prove that Alvarado acted with actual malice.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
15 Oct. 2025
-
In addition to stealing students’ data, the worm had also altered some records, perhaps for no better reason than simple malice.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
14 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
But in Israel, some of the relief felt in the wake of the agreement has been eclipsed by anger that Hamas so far has released only the remains of nine of the 28 deceased hostages held in Gaza.—
Lauren Kent,
CNN Money,
16 Oct. 2025
-
The Owensboro news media and some white onlookers insist that when the lady sheriff didn’t show up to act as executioner, there was anger in the press’s unmet expectations, which then was taken out on the crowd, with the reporters lying about the audience’s unruly behavior.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Mordancy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mordancy. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.
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