Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective mordant contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of mordant are acrid, caustic, and scathing. While all these words mean "stingingly incisive," mordant suggests a wit that is used with deadly effectiveness.

mordant reviews of the play

When might acrid be a better fit than mordant?

The synonyms acrid and mordant are sometimes interchangeable, but acrid implies bitterness and often malevolence.

acrid invective

When would caustic be a good substitute for mordant?

The meanings of caustic and mordant largely overlap; however, caustic suggests a biting wit.

caustic comments

When can scathing be used instead of mordant?

While in some cases nearly identical to mordant, scathing implies indignant attacks delivered with fierce severity.

a scathing satire

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of mordant While still maintaining his academic career, Lehrer was popular enough to tour occasionally as a solo performer before overseas audiences, punctuating his mordant material with a lupine grin. Chris Morris, Variety, 27 July 2025 A bit of mordant familial humor held that the Great Depression had hit the year before, and the family had been demoted, but the new categorization was more likely the product of the family’s changing structure. Jelani Cobb, New Yorker, 14 June 2025 The brilliantly mordant Irish comedian Dylan Moran summed it up memorably. Greg Orme, Forbes.com, 2 Apr. 2025 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 See All Example Sentences for mordant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mordant
Adjective
  • White Noise Noah Baumbach's 2022 satirical drama stars Adam Driver and Greta Gerwig — who married Baumbach in 2023 after dating for 12 years — play a married couple in the 1980s.
    Jacqueline Weiss, PEOPLE, 7 Sep. 2025
  • While the homage is heartfelt, and certainly packs its share of genuine laughs, the end result can’t escape feeling like a hodgepodge, incapable of cohesively blending the satirical elements with the earnest messaging foremost on its mind.
    Michael Rechtshaffen, HollywoodReporter, 7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Even an otherwise neutral comment can be contorted into a sarcastic retort, an insult or a counterattack.
    Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
  • On the par-4 14th, Scheffler splashed out of a greenside bunker to 10 feet, missed the par putt, and then, without hesitation, threw a sarcastic fist pump toward the hole.
    Devlina Sarkar, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • This touchscreen pod machine has a lot to offer, including rich, balanced, coffee; a whopping eight brewing sizes; one-touch presets for low-acid, Americano, iced coffee, and cold brew; plus customizable temperature control and brew strength.
    Mark Marino, Bon Appetit Magazine, 29 Aug. 2025
  • How does the new silver extraction method work The technology, known as Jet Electrochemical Silver Extraction (JESE), uses a fine stream of weak acid to dissolve silver directly from the panel surface in seconds—the acid stream targets only the silver, leaving everything else untouched.
    Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 15 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • Use fertile, moist, slightly acidic soil that’s well-draining, and amend it with compost or other organic matter.
    Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 9 Sep. 2025
  • Never use any acidic material on copper sinks.
    BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Thailand says the barbed wire was set up to prevent the planting of mines and is on its own land.
    Matthew Tostevin, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Aug. 2025
  • No one else writes with such wounding, barbed wit.
    David Fear, Rolling Stone, 27 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • Jeanne Tripplehorn is having a blast as Dale’s caustic widow Betty Jo.
    Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 4 Sep. 2025
  • Ross gets away with such a surfeit of sentiment precisely because of his naturally caustic inclinations; the jokes are sharp enough and the laughs are hard and plentiful enough that all of the schmaltz feels not just charming but well-earned.
    Chris Jones, New York Daily News, 19 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Mordant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mordant. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.

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