: characterized by insincerity, irony, or whimsical exaggeration
: with insincerity, irony, or whimsical exaggeration
Examples of tongue-in-cheek in a Sentence
Adverb
The whole interview was done tongue in cheek.
Recent Examples on the Web
Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 5 July 2024
The tongue-in-cheek remark rings true every budget season, though the contention of last year’s talks seems absent, for now.
—Christen Smith | The Center Square, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 4 July 2024
Mike Freeman, USA TODAY, 5 Feb. 2024
Some of the decor is a bit over the top and tongue in cheek, even veering into kitsch.
—Maggie Gillette, Better Homes & Gardens, 23 Jan. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tongue-in-cheek 
Adjective
The film’s distinct visual style — grainy texture, zoom effects and telephoto lenses — lends a nostalgic, tongue-in-cheek feeling reminiscent of American film in the 1970s and ’80s.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 5 July 2024
The tongue-in-cheek remark rings true every budget season, though the contention of last year’s talks seems absent, for now.
—Christen Smith | The Center Square, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 4 July 2024
Adverb
In fairness, some of it was tongue in cheek, but there was definitely an element of seriousness to it.
—Mike Freeman, USA TODAY, 5 Feb. 2024
Some of the decor is a bit over the top and tongue in cheek, even veering into kitsch.
—Maggie Gillette, Better Homes & Gardens, 23 Jan. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tongue-in-cheek
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tongue-in-cheek.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near tongue-in-cheek
Cite this Entry
“Tongue-in-cheek.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tongue-in-cheek. Accessed 12 Jul. 2024.
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