tongue-in-cheek

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 attitude reminded me of a tongue-in-cheek comment by comedian Stephen Colbert. Michael L. Millenson, Forbes.com, 31 July 2025 There are more than 25 of them in town, and (occasionally to the brand's dismay) almost all of them have a tongue-in-cheek nickname. Maggie Menderski, The Courier-Journal, 30 July 2025 The tour has a tongue-in-cheek reference to the yearslong legal battle: The Name Stays Tour. Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 29 July 2025 If the tongue-in-cheek approach—from the phrasing of the questions to Paltrow’s blithely chipper answers—seems to have a Ryan Reynolds tinge to it, that’s because the ads were created by Reynolds’ Maximum Effort production company. Chris Morris, Fortune, 28 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for tongue-in-cheek
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tongue-in-cheek
Adjective
  • In an inordinately cowardly and cruel act, Rubio stayed away from the department that day, ignoring the men and women whose careers and life plans were decimated by his flippant decision-making.
    Lynn Northcutt Vega, Sun Sentinel, 29 July 2025
  • Their communication style skews casual, which can be misread as flippant.
    AllBusiness, Forbes.com, 28 July 2025
Adjective
  • To be facetious, how many of those people who committed mass murder in the fifth largest city in America went to death row?
    Dave Zirin, Rolling Stone, 17 June 2025
  • At first, Yellow Face offers a facetious and overly complicated panorama, shuffling Daniel Dae Kim’s glibly intellectual DHH and Francis Jue’s heartfelt HYH among the Asian, black, and white supporting actors who portray various egotistic New York professionals.
    Armond White, National Review, 21 May 2025
Adjective
  • Davidson seems to be channeling a new-age Jerry Lewis here, ironic since one of Murphy’s biggest successes was delivering a brilliant take on an early Lewis role in The Nutty Professor, but one playing eight different parts over two films was purely his own.
    Pete Hammond, Deadline, 4 Aug. 2025
  • Cooper’s talk of making strides in the table is a bit ironic considering KC sits comfortably atop the NWSL standings.
    Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 30 July 2025
Adjective
  • Ralph Johnson is wry and endearing as the town rabbi, Ron Orbach is gruff and authentic as the butcher Lazar Wolf.
    Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Aug. 2025
  • The voice that emerges is clear, curious, wry, and endlessly generous.
    Nia Bowers, USA Today, 12 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • That was a shameful, cynical act of political cowardice and corruption.
    Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 12 Aug. 2025
  • Home games were a communally happy experience instead of one in which 40,000 people were conditioned to expect the most cynical outcome possible.
    Jerry Beach, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • This fall is predicted to bring cooler-than-average temperatures and dry weather for Arizona and the desert Southwest, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac.
    Laura Daniella Sepulveda, AZCentral.com, 7 Aug. 2025
  • While the forecast remains relatively dry for Wednesday, Aug. 6, there is a chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m., according to the National Weather Service office in Wilmington.
    Kaycee Sloan, The Enquirer, 7 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • The story is poignant because Wisner succumbed to severe bipolar disorder, leading to his suicide in 1965, at the age of 56.
    Foreign Affairs, Foreign Affairs, 19 Aug. 2025
  • After a string of forgettable pictures, the helmer delivers a heartening, charming and empowering romance that never loses focus on its heroine’s poignant predicament.
    Courtney Howard, Variety, 19 Aug. 2025

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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 24 Aug. 2025.

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