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
Such is the case in Quiara Alegría Hudes’s wrenching and mordant debut novel, The White Hot, in which 26-year-old April Soto hits her breaking point and walks out on her 10-year-old daughter, Noelle.
—
Ruth Madievsky, The Atlantic, 21 Jan. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for mordant
Ruth Madievsky, The Atlantic, 21 Jan. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for mordant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mordant
Adjective
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Missing many opportunities for genuine satirical home runs , this sixth go round doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel but unfortunately can’t find much new to say about this genre, instead stuck in the same old formula even with the OG cast and characters back in charge.—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
4 June 2026
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Cattelan is known for satirical pieces that challenge popular culture, often provoking debates around conceptual art.—
Jack Guy,
CNN Money,
3 June 2026
Adjective
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Shah’s closest ally (and the person most willing to call Shah on his lies to himself and others) is his cousin Zulfi, a gigantic character who Khan energizes with fast-talking charm, sarcastic asides, and an assessing glare that can cut through anyone’s defenses.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
29 May 2026
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Yet another compared the look to Van Gogh, while others were more than ready to take Bieber up on her presumably sarcastic offer to accept appointments.—
Marci Robin,
Allure,
25 May 2026
Adjective
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New York — In New York’s Hudson Valley, the artist Anicka Yi has erected columns bursting with mercurial microbial life, in hues of acid green and coffee, arranged like an archaeological dig at Storm King Art Center.—
Jacqui Palumbo,
CNN Money,
29 May 2026
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There are acid critiques of settler colonialism alongside tributes to the majesty of the American landscape, sober revisitations of enslavement alongside hopeful pleas for liberation, bitter denouncements of intervention in wars abroad alongside quaint homages to homespun Americanness.—
Alex Greenberger,
ARTnews.com,
28 May 2026
Adjective
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Lemon Juice Method Like other acidic ingredients, lemon juice can help tackle mineral buildup and refresh the toilet bowl with a clean, citrus scent.—
Louise Parks,
Martha Stewart,
2 June 2026
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Club soda is another popular choice, especially for absorbing acidic stains like red wine.—
Nafeesah Allen,
Better Homes & Gardens,
31 May 2026
Adjective
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Cage had his arm smashed multiple times, Wheeler had a piece of his nose nearly taken off and barbed wire scraped the skin of each competitor.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
25 May 2026
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Homes and gardens sit behind protective walls and gates with barbed wire.—
Eleanor Beardsley,
NPR,
19 May 2026
Adjective
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Also, caustic chemicals such as muriatic acid should be in plastic since a bottle of such substances could have very bad results.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
6 June 2026
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This process uses caustic liquids and high temperatures to extract and refine alumina from bauxite ore.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
6 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mordant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mordant. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.
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