as in humor
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Recent Examples of wordplay
Readers who savor wordplay as much as suspense should look up this clever mystery.
—
Ron Charles, CBS News, 28 Dec. 2025
Critics were quick to slam the ad, arguing that the wordplay was a subtle attempt at endorsing eugenics.
—Amaris Encinas, USA Today, 27 Dec. 2025
The suffering in these songs is almost comical, but the hurt under the wordplay was real.
—Alex Abramovich, New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2025
Related Stories Stoppard, who fled Czechoslovakia as a child during Nazi rule and eventually settled in England, was a master stylist of language, perhaps best known for his clever wordplay.
—Laura Clark, Variety, 29 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wordplay
Ron Charles, CBS News, 28 Dec. 2025
Critics were quick to slam the ad, arguing that the wordplay was a subtle attempt at endorsing eugenics.
—Amaris Encinas, USA Today, 27 Dec. 2025
The suffering in these songs is almost comical, but the hurt under the wordplay was real.
—Alex Abramovich, New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2025
Related Stories Stoppard, who fled Czechoslovakia as a child during Nazi rule and eventually settled in England, was a master stylist of language, perhaps best known for his clever wordplay.
—Laura Clark, Variety, 29 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wordplay
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wordplay
Noun
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Incorporating your personality into professional relationships, whether through communication style, humor, creativity, or warmth, helps build rapport and approachability.—
Britney Porter,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
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Their film tells the love story of poets Andrea Gibson and Meg Falley and how the couple managed to confront Gibson’s terminal cancer diagnosis with grace, bravery, and humor.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Throughout history, women have used their talents, skills, and wits to support issues, ideas, entertainment, and communities that are important to them.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 Jan. 2026
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With a sprinkle of '80s nonsensical wit, Splash is an easy-breezy watch that finds its place in the sun by being ridiculously campy while grounding itself in earnestness, thanks to Hanks and Hannah's bewitching lead performances.—
James Mercadante,
Entertainment Weekly,
20 Jan. 2026
Noun
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But it’s also taken a ribbing for recalls, which have been mounting rapidly.—
Andrea Guzmán,
Austin American Statesman,
14 Jan. 2026
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And secondly, the ribbing around the quarter-zip is comfy-looking and actually works to insulate by trapping air.—
Olivia Young,
Travel + Leisure,
20 Dec. 2025
Noun
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With a mocking appreciation for her overbearing family and caustic wit for her younger self, Yajia warmly works from the thesis that kids are extraordinarily weird, scary, and kind-of-dumb creatures who really don’t know any better.—
Brian Boone,
Vulture,
12 Dec. 2025
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The movie has a brief mocking glimpse of MTV, just for a cheap laugh, when Springsteen is flipping channels between Badlands reruns.—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
2 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Just kidding, Kim’s is a real and rational response, but Natalie is not having it.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
31 Dec. 2025
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While fictional, Joel’s compassion and care can’t help but feel like counterprogramming to the cynical everyday horrors of violent deportations, open bigotry from leading politicians, measles outbreaks and the return of whole milk (kidding!—
Leah Asmelash,
CNN Money,
18 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wordplay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wordplay. Accessed 23 Jan. 2026.
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