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
The Pornographer is a riposte to the banning of The Dark, a very mordant kind of revenge.
—
Sam Sacks, Harper's Magazine, 2 Jan. 2025
Separated by interstitial shots of Cluj’s ahistorical new architecture, these long and static confessional scenes are spiked with Jude’s recognizably mordant wit, their dialogue timely enough to distract from the feeling of shooting fish in a barrel.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 19 Feb. 2025
The excesses of 1980s academia are ripe fodder for de Kretser’s mordant wit, but her aim here is more ambitious — and the results more rewarding.
—Emily Eakin, New York Times, 18 Feb. 2025
Six Organs of Admittance Space Ballroom, 295 Treadwell St., New Haven
The mordant post-modern folk act Six Organs of Admittance is at Space Ballroom on Nov. 10 at 8 p.m. with two other singular voices, experimental Bhutanese guitarist Tashi Dorji and Connecticut indie folk legend Kath Bloom.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 9 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for mordant
Sam Sacks, Harper's Magazine, 2 Jan. 2025
Separated by interstitial shots of Cluj’s ahistorical new architecture, these long and static confessional scenes are spiked with Jude’s recognizably mordant wit, their dialogue timely enough to distract from the feeling of shooting fish in a barrel.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 19 Feb. 2025
The excesses of 1980s academia are ripe fodder for de Kretser’s mordant wit, but her aim here is more ambitious — and the results more rewarding.
—Emily Eakin, New York Times, 18 Feb. 2025
Six Organs of Admittance Space Ballroom, 295 Treadwell St., New Haven
The mordant post-modern folk act Six Organs of Admittance is at Space Ballroom on Nov. 10 at 8 p.m. with two other singular voices, experimental Bhutanese guitarist Tashi Dorji and Connecticut indie folk legend Kath Bloom.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 9 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for mordant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mordant
Adjective
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That’s the premise of Douglas Is Cancelled, a cruelly funny 2024 BBC sitcom that seems very much in sync with satiric comedies such as The Office and W1A and Yes Minister.—
Air Mail,
Air Mail,
22 Mar. 2025
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Misery, a horror movie with a satiric streak, launched Bates’s film stardom.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
21 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Goldberg continued before asking her co-hosts their opinions in a sarcastic tone.—
Liza Esquibias,
People.com,
24 Apr. 2025
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Where Jackie is sarcastic, cynical, and all sharp edges, Zoey is enthusiastic and warm.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
21 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The vintage was a cool one, allowing the grapes to mature slowly in autumn to balance sweet and acid components.—
John Mariani,
Forbes.com,
18 Apr. 2025
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The acid content of these foods irritates your child's skin, causing redness that can look like a rash.6 Viruses and Bacterial Infections Certain viral or bacterial infections may cause multiple symptoms around the mouth, including a rash.—
Wendy Wisner,
Health,
18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Crisp, acidic and linear aromas of grapefruit, green apples, melon, candy cane and lemon grass; slight lime and salt.—
Tom Mullen,
Forbes.com,
21 Apr. 2025
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Most veggies prefer slightly acidic soil, but these crops thrive in more alkaline gardens.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
17 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Standing in front of an array of 4,500 Canadian solar panels and across from a wall topped with barbed wire, Gov. Ned Lamont today announced the completion of seven solar projects at prisons located in Enfield, Cheshire and Somers.—
Emilia Otte,
Hartford Courant,
25 Apr. 2025
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Some of the humor has a barbed, geopolitical aim in a war for the world’s hearts and minds — see the Chinese government’s fusillade of memes — but political scientists say that, for many people, humor is a natural response to stressful times.—
Hailey Branson-Potts,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Benji is caustic, needling and selfish — the kind of guy who hogs the window seat, the shower and everyone’s attention.—
Amy Nicholson,
Twin Cities,
1 Mar. 2025
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No one really thinks Porter will play more than a dozen games with the Bucks before being released following (your choice; gun charges, domestic battery arrest, creating a caustic locker room, being banned by the NBA for on-court behavior, or _____) do they?—
Eric Nehm,
The Athletic,
24 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Mordant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mordant. Accessed 5 May. 2025.
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