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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Moore was a Baptist evangelist, admired for his knowledge of the Scriptures and for his satirical edge from the pulpit.—
Michael Luo,
New Yorker,
14 June 2026
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In Lebanon, a look-alike delivery driver posts satirical videos and pranks unsuspecting residents, showing the fear Adraee inspires.—
Melanie Lidman,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2026
Adjective
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When asked to divulge what his tactics would be against the powerful Swiss team in Saturday’s World Cup opener for the two nations, Lopetegui couldn’t help but unleash a sarcastic but realistic response.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
13 June 2026
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When the 10th batter (Dalton Rushing) struck out for the first out of the inning, the diminished number of Pirates fans still on hand gave a sarcastic cheer for their team’s stick-to-itiveness.—
Bill Plunkett,
Oc Register,
10 June 2026
Adjective
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De la Espriella also represented some high-profile victims, including Natalia Ponce de León, who was the target of an acid attack in 2014, and Rosa Elvira Cely, whose murder in 2012 generated national outrage and led to the creation of Colombia’s femicide laws.—
Chad de Guzman,
Time,
1 June 2026
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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
Adjective
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This acidic environment enables enzymatic DNA growth.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
17 June 2026
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Light, medium, or dark roasts all work fine for espresso; just keep in mind that the lighter the roast, the more acidic the finished product.—
Karla Walsh,
Better Homes & Gardens,
16 June 2026
Adjective
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The shoe style includes a barbed wire design on the foxing, canvas uppers, cotton laces and Travis Barker logo detailing on the heel and tongue.—
Stephen Garner,
Footwear News,
11 June 2026
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After netting a Golden Globe nomination for her film debut in 1978's Corvette Summer, Annie Potts joined the cast of Ghostbusters, played the ultimate Cool Girl record store clerk in Pretty in Pink (1986), and essayed her most iconic role as barbed single-mother Mary Jo Shively on Designing Women.—
Declan Gallagher,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 June 2026
Adjective
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The press was its usual caustic self this weekend, filled with talk about delusional investors who will have a hard lesson to learn.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
14 June 2026
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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
Cite this Entry
“Mordant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mordant. Accessed 19 Jun. 2026.
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