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 While chatting with the NFL brothers, Jason posed a tongue-in-cheek question to the Prince of Wales. — Erin Hill, PEOPLE, 3 July 2026 Sox fans probably are not enamored with the idea of Breslow as Executive of the Year, even as a tongue-in-cheek possibility. — Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 30 June 2026 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 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
  • Not to be flippant, but a part of Black life that is a treasure now are Tubi movies.
    — Joshua Rothkopf, Los Angeles Times, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Diet culture doesn’t care about your health The flippant comments about this parasite belie the dominant belief that weight loss is inherently about pursuing health.
    — Oona Hanson, CNN Money, 25 July 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
  • The Shards is a series made for (and probably by) people who can’t always distinguish among kitsch, camp, ironic detachment and affectionate nostalgia, and, frankly, don’t care.
    — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 5 Aug. 2026
  • The post is also ironic given what Musk had just told The Economist.
    — Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 29 July 2026
Definition of ironic
Adjective
  • From Melikova’s intimate prose and local industry connections arises an essential sensory texture of national belonging, alongside a moral register sharp enough to carry a critical charge and light enough to keep it wry.
    — Sonya Vseliubska, IndieWire, 7 Aug. 2026
  • But Downey, Gwyneth Paltrow, and director Jon Favreau found a screwball rhythm that was wry and fast-talking.
    — EW Staff, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of wry
Adjective
  • The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives has had a rough year, and in a cynical way, that makes for great TV.
    — Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 7 Aug. 2026
  • This cynical and inhumane terrorist attack against children cannot be justified.
    — Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of cynical
Adjective
  • Another round of showers is possible Saturday evening, but there will be plenty of dry time in between.
    — Adam Del Rosso, CBS News, 14 Aug. 2026
  • With France experiencing its driest year ever, a new fire raced through woodlands overnight in the Landes region on the southwest coast.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of dry
Adjective
  • Building to a poignant climax, writer-director Noah Segan’s elegant love letter to both New York and to bygone cinematic eras recalls both the 1970s, with its grungy urban antiheroes, and the 1990s, in its American indie ethos.
    — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 11 Aug. 2026
  • The film’s pointed critique of a fractured society severely damaged by playing catch-up capitalism is unmistakable, but for those familiar with recent Ghanaian politics, Armar’s poignant assessment goes deeper.
    — Jay Weissberg, Variety, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of poignant

Browse Nearby Words

tongue
tongue-in-cheek
tongue-lash
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Cite this Entry

“Tongue-in-cheek.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tongue-in-cheek. Accessed 16 Aug. 2026.

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