as in acerbic
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Recent Examples of sharp-tongued
Much like this Air sign, Chucky is sharp-tongued, switching between clever and terror in an instant.
—
Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
With his sharp-tongued, Vespa-riding producer Sadaf by his side, Bahram embarks on an underground mission to showcase his film to an Iranian audience, dodging government censors, absurd bureaucracy, and his own self-doubts.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 25 July 2025
The film follows Kat Stratford, a fiercely independent and sharp-tongued teenager played by Julia Stiles who has no interest in dating.
—Jane Lacroix, People.com, 2 Nov. 2024
Based on a copy of the script obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, those scenes depict three moments in which Rowling — portrayed as strong-willed and sharp-tongued but far from a villain — faces off with key male figures from her life: her first book editor, her abusive ex-husband and her father.
—Seth Abramovitch, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 July 2024
And its theater-kid earnestness and sharp-tongued lyrics are reminiscent of another pop upstart who works with Nigro: Olivia Rodrigo.
—Shaad D’souza, New York Times, 22 May 2024
In Israel, the meticulous and sharp-tongued Mr. Zamir became a target of the nation’s questions and grief after Munich as one of the first Mossad chiefs to face intense public inquiry.
—Brian Murphy, Washington Post, 20 Jan. 2024
The critics of Measure 110 were polite but sharp-tongued.
—E. Tammy Kim, The New Yorker, 15 Jan. 2024
The first few internship scenes offered a glorious glimpse of the old, sharp-tongued, Type A Miranda, whose pioneering heteropessimism once balanced out the giddy romantic misadventures of her three best girlfriends.
—Time, 3 Aug. 2023
Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
With his sharp-tongued, Vespa-riding producer Sadaf by his side, Bahram embarks on an underground mission to showcase his film to an Iranian audience, dodging government censors, absurd bureaucracy, and his own self-doubts.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 25 July 2025
The film follows Kat Stratford, a fiercely independent and sharp-tongued teenager played by Julia Stiles who has no interest in dating.
—Jane Lacroix, People.com, 2 Nov. 2024
Based on a copy of the script obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, those scenes depict three moments in which Rowling — portrayed as strong-willed and sharp-tongued but far from a villain — faces off with key male figures from her life: her first book editor, her abusive ex-husband and her father.
—Seth Abramovitch, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 July 2024
And its theater-kid earnestness and sharp-tongued lyrics are reminiscent of another pop upstart who works with Nigro: Olivia Rodrigo.
—Shaad D’souza, New York Times, 22 May 2024
In Israel, the meticulous and sharp-tongued Mr. Zamir became a target of the nation’s questions and grief after Munich as one of the first Mossad chiefs to face intense public inquiry.
—Brian Murphy, Washington Post, 20 Jan. 2024
The critics of Measure 110 were polite but sharp-tongued.
—E. Tammy Kim, The New Yorker, 15 Jan. 2024
The first few internship scenes offered a glorious glimpse of the old, sharp-tongued, Type A Miranda, whose pioneering heteropessimism once balanced out the giddy romantic misadventures of her three best girlfriends.
—Time, 3 Aug. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sharp-tongued
Adjective
-
There’s Sarah, the determined novice; there’s Zoë, the irreverent, acerbic detective; there’s Joe, the romantic who tries to impress Sarah by guessing things about her from looking at her hands.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
29 Oct. 2025
-
Sybil was hotelier Basil Fawlty’s acerbic and bossy wife, who argued frequently with Basil and was often the subject of his ire.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
28 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Perhaps the distance was a result of Goldman’s eventual drug use or the appearance of The Professor of Desire published in 1977, whose sardonic portrait of David Kepesh drew heavily on Goldman.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 Oct. 2025
-
The time to be sardonic had passed.—
Eddie Huang,
Curbed,
9 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The kicking game was so bad that Freeman sounded like Brian Kelly at his sarcastic best when asked about Noah Burnette, Erik Schmidt and Marcello Diomede combining to miss two extra points and one field goal.—
Pete Sampson,
New York Times,
2 Nov. 2025
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Reactions to the freestyle depended on whether or not you were tuned into its sarcastic frequency.—
Jeff Ihaza,
Rolling Stone,
30 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Laube, who previously ran the Libertarian Party of Iowa, and his allies promised to run Libertarian candidates, reverse the decline in their voting base and repudiate the caustic public image embraced by the party’s now-former leaders.—
Seth Klamann,
Denver Post,
26 Oct. 2025
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The endorsement comes as Cuomo has lobbed increasingly caustic attacks on Mamdani, equating his criticism of Israel with antisemitism and warning of a city beset by crime, hatred and disorder if his opponent wins.—
Anthony Izaguirre,
Fortune,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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During his two-year spell in North London, Postecoglou also reveals the decidedly spikier side to his character.—
Zak Garner-Purkis,
Forbes.com,
24 June 2025
-
Jasmine petals, one of my favorite floral notes, is given a spikier edge alongside Australian pink pepper, while raspberry and spun sugar add a pleasing sweetness without being too much.—
Venus Wong,
refinery29.com,
30 Oct. 2024
Adjective
-
Martuni’s, a beloved downtown piano-bar, takes a more playful approach with a colorful quartet of fruit-forward martinis, from sour apple and watermelon to pineapple and creamsicle.—
Taryn White,
Travel + Leisure,
2 Nov. 2025
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The sour-sweet smell turned into a rich caramel aroma that quickly filled the barn.—
Ivy Odom,
Southern Living,
1 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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The satirical newscast’s correspondents have been taking turns filling in the rest of the week.—
Brian Stelter,
CNN Money,
27 Oct. 2025
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Court records show that SpaceX, the rocket company founded in 2002 by billionaire Elon Musk, has settled a lawsuit filed in 2024 by Cards Against Humanity, the maker of the popular satirical party game of the same name.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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In the yard, decorations include nooses, hanging bodies, guards in towers and barbed wire fences.—
Colson Thayer,
PEOPLE,
27 Oct. 2025
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The actress is clearly relishing the opportunity to deliver Aaron Sorkin’s barbed dialogue (though perhaps not as much as Philip Seymour Hoffman, who steals the show as an explosive CIA functionary).—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
10 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sharp-tongued.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sharp-tongued. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
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