tongue-in-cheek

adjective

Definition of tongue-in-cheeknext
as in flippant

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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 tongue-in-cheek That might have been tongue-in-cheek. — Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 27 June 2026 In a tongue-in-cheek social media post shared on the tournament’s opening day, the TSA reminded travelers that ranch dressing is subject to the agency's long-standing liquids restrictions. — Bailey Berg, Forbes.com, 25 June 2026 Meanwhile, sitcoms like Friends marked a movement toward irony in comedy with its trademark tongue-in-cheek banter and sarcasm, Thompson explains. — Liz Regalia, Parents, 23 June 2026 The two traced the story of the show back to their first meeting in 2011, realized on screen at the presentation with a tongue-in-cheek comic panel featuring Wong complaining about their lunch. — Kambole Campbell, Variety, 23 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for tongue-in-cheek
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tongue-in-cheek
  1. flippant
  2. facetious
  3. ironic
  4. wry
  5. cynical
  6. dry
  7. poignant
Adjective
  • And for Lestat’s part, Louis has been flippant with his feelings.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 15 July 2026
  • Your method of dismissing your flippant remarks, then, is probably the next best option to silence.
    — R. Eric Thomas, Chicago Tribune, 22 June 2026
Definition of flippant
Adjective
  • The excess of emotion often scans as winkingly facetious, a dramatization to demonstrate just how deeply a person loves books.
    — Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 8 July 2026
  • The first thing he was asked, by another reporter who witnessed the debate, was a facetious question of whether he’s given MVP any thought.
    — Jared Weiss, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2026
Definition of facetious
Adjective
  • Yet Fehrenbach drew that lesson from the Korean War—an especially ironic example, given that ground forces did not achieve a conclusive political outcome there.
    — David A. Deptula, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
  • Although the work was a critical favorite and a Pulitzer finalist, Eggers’s ironic tone struck some readers as overly precious—few books have inspired such devotion and exasperation in equal measure.
    — Tope Folarin, The Atlantic, 22 July 2026
Definition of ironic
Adjective
  • Kincaid documented the wry, rueful conditions of colonialism and made a request of one of Britain’s most famous fictional characters.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 July 2026
  • The animation styles, varying from episode to episode, are all dynamic and gorgeous, paying homage to both a classic anime style and Star Wars‘ own more wry feeling.
    — Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 26 July 2026
Definition of wry
Adjective
  • Tentpoles with integrity will be especially important as generative AI makes the industry’s appetite for replicable content more cynical by the day.
    — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 26 July 2026
  • In its portrayal of cross-gender relations, the series is consistently cruel to women, insulting to men, empathetic toward nobody and cynical about everything.
    — Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 22 July 2026
Definition of cynical
Adjective
  • Providing supplemental irrigation during dry periods to reduce drought stress.
    — Callie Zanandrie, CBS News, 31 July 2026
  • In just a few weeks, guests at this West 39th Street sandwich shop and wine bar can transport themselves to a Tuscan restaurant with homemade schiacciata bread, Italian meats and cheeses, and a dry white.
    — Katelyn Umholtz, Kansas City Star, 30 July 2026
Definition of dry
Adjective
  • If random disclosure of common-sense-defying detail is your idea of a searing, poignant journey into the light of faith, there’s more where that came from.
    — Matthew Walther, The Atlantic, 20 July 2026
  • The defeat was especially poignant for Lionel Messi, who left the field in tears after collecting his runners-up medal in what is expected to be his final World Cup appearance.
    — Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 20 July 2026
Definition of poignant

Browse Nearby Words

tongue
tongue-in-cheek
tongue-lash
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Tongue-in-cheek.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tongue-in-cheek. Accessed 2 Aug. 2026.

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