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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Green’s teammate, Moses Moody, gave a sarcastic response to Brooks’ assertion.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
25 Apr. 2025
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It was followed by a sarcastic post targeting Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.).—
Ashleigh Fields,
The Hill,
16 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Also, eating large quantities of food can lead to increase acid production and acid reflux.—
Hannah Yasharoff,
USA Today,
19 Apr. 2025
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Gastrointestinal Symptoms Fish oil may stimulate acid production in the stomach, which can cause heartburn or indigestion—especially if taken on an empty stomach.—
Amy Brownstein, MS, RDN,
Verywell Health,
7 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Some also claim that tomatoes turn out sweeter in less acidic soil, though the sugar content of a tomato may have more to do with that.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
16 May 2025
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Prep the Soil Watermelons are heavy feeders that need full sun, well-draining and slightly acidic soil, and lots of nutrients to grow.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
13 May 2025
Adjective
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Negan honored his wife by naming his deadly barbed wire baseball bat after her.—
Christopher Rudolph,
People.com,
5 May 2025
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The bat wrapped in barbed wire is back in a new iteration, informing much of Negan’s journey in the Season 2.—
Rafa Sales Ross,
Variety,
2 May 2025
Adjective
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But on Reddit, in a more skeptical and caustic corner of the internet, an army of angry critics was assembling.—
Katherine Rosman,
New York Times,
1 May 2025
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That lady is really the aforementioned murderous hag (Meredith Binder), her false veneer of youthful beauty reinforced by a magic mirror’s flattering (if also caustic) topless female spirits, and sustained via grisly methods seemingly inspired by Elizabeth Bathory.—
Dennis Harvey,
Variety,
2 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Mordant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mordant. Accessed 22 May. 2025.
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