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
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The satirical stuff that Hart was writing in the 1930s no longer would play in the 1940s with the war on.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
14 Mar. 2026
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The darkly satirical film stars Kirsten Dunst, Daniel Brühl, and Keanu Reeves and is set on a long-haul flight where the entertainment system fails and passengers are forced to face the horror of being bored.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
13 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
In her response, Stanton was livid and sarcastic.—
Moira Donegan,
New Yorker,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Adebayo said with a sarcastic smile.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
12 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Fires caused by Israeli strikes on oil reservoirs on Saturday burned for multiple days, prompting Iranian officials to warn residents against acid and toxic rain that resulted from the significant amount of pollutants in the air.—
Julia Jacobo,
ABC News,
10 Mar. 2026
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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
Adjective
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Blueberries need acidic soil, grow lights, and exposure to cold temperatures to thrive and produce fruit indoors.—
Rae Ford,
Martha Stewart,
16 Mar. 2026
-
An acidic aqueous electrolyte containing iron salts circulated continuously through the system during testing.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
13 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Many South African farms are ringed in barbed wire and outfitted with security cameras; one of the migrants told me a story about confronting armed robbers.—
Boyce Upholt,
New Yorker,
14 Mar. 2026
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The release put out by the White House is on the heels of barbed posts by top aide Cheung and Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt against CNN and several other outlets.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
13 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The move comes just a few months after Mamdani took office after a bitter campaign season last year that had the two Democrats taking turns bashing each other in often caustic and personal terms.—
ANTHONY IZAGUIRRE THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Arkansas Online,
18 Mar. 2026
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The move comes just a few months after Mamdani took office, following a bitter campaign season last year that had the two Democrats taking turns bashing each other in often caustic and personal terms.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
17 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mordant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mordant. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.
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