as in satiric
marked by the use of wit that is intended to cause hurt feelings
a mordant review of the movie that compared it to having one's teeth pulled for two hours
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Recent Examples of mordant
His conversation is astringent; his mordant wit softens into easy laughter.
—
Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 21 Oct. 2025
That may have been Winter’s intention — there’s also more than a whiff of the Coen brothers figuring into all the mordant mayhem — but the execution proves trickier to pull off for a sustained period.
—Michael Rechtshaffen, HollywoodReporter, 12 Sep. 2025
Mikkelsen, in one of the most tender performances of his career, and Sloan, whose expressive eyes stay impossibly wide for the duration of the film, craft an easy chemistry together, his mordant humor matching hers like a glove.
—Marya E. Gates, IndieWire, 9 Sep. 2025
Phoebe Greenwood’s novel, Vulture, conjures up this world with mordant humor and breathtaking immediacy.
—Book Marks
august 28, Literary Hub, 28 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mordant
Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 21 Oct. 2025
That may have been Winter’s intention — there’s also more than a whiff of the Coen brothers figuring into all the mordant mayhem — but the execution proves trickier to pull off for a sustained period.
—Michael Rechtshaffen, HollywoodReporter, 12 Sep. 2025
Mikkelsen, in one of the most tender performances of his career, and Sloan, whose expressive eyes stay impossibly wide for the duration of the film, craft an easy chemistry together, his mordant humor matching hers like a glove.
—Marya E. Gates, IndieWire, 9 Sep. 2025
Phoebe Greenwood’s novel, Vulture, conjures up this world with mordant humor and breathtaking immediacy.
—Book Marks
august 28, Literary Hub, 28 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mordant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mordant
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
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Tom Lester played Eb Dawson, the Douglases' sarcastic young farmhand.—
Meredith Wilshere,
PEOPLE,
25 Jan. 2026
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The worse things are going, the more bitter and sarcastic my humor sometimes gets.—
Kenna Hughes-Castleberry,
Space.com,
24 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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An arrest has been made in an acid attack on a Long Island college student that happened nearly five years ago.—
Alexa Herrera,
CBS News,
10 Feb. 2026
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As wine lovers’ taste in Chardonnay has moved from ripe and buttery to lean and racy, higher-acid, more-flavorful versions have come into vogue.—
Mike DeSimone,
Robb Report,
8 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Aluminum foil is heat resistant and can be used to line pans or cover dishes, but isn't nonstick, and may not be safe for acidic food applications.—
Katie Rosenhouse,
Southern Living,
9 Feb. 2026
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The acidic content in vinegar breaks down mineral deposits, hard water stains, and buildup and neutralizes odors.—
Maria Sabella,
The Spruce,
8 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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These corporations are enabling violence on the streets and death behind barbed wire.—
Robert B. Reich,
Hartford Courant,
12 Feb. 2026
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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
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But, in another sign of how the political realities around immigration have shifted in the past year, that vote drew a caustic statement from one of her Democratic primary opponents in the 8th District, Evan Munsing.—
Seth Klamann,
Denver Post,
8 Feb. 2026
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There was always a caustic quality to Minna and Flic’s demeanor, but true cruelty seeps into their interactions in a way that’s ultimately heartbreaking.—
Esther Zuckerman,
IndieWire,
23 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mordant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mordant. Accessed 18 Feb. 2026.
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