acerb

adjective

ə-ˈsərb How to pronounce acerb (audio)
Definition of acerbnext
as in sarcastic
marked by the use of wit that is intended to cause hurt feelings a professor with a rather acerb sense of humor

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for acerb
  1. sarcastic
  2. satiric
  3. acid
  4. acidic
  5. barbed
  6. acerbic
Adjective
  • The comment quickly spread like wildfire online, causing much confusion about if his comment was sarcastic or a dig at the country crooner.
    Amber Corrine, VIBE.com, 22 Nov. 2024
  • While the main cast all reprised their roles, Rapp’s Leighton Murray, the ultra-wealthy, sarcastic sorority girl whose journey of self-discovery was central to the first two seasons, is bidding her farewell.
    Jordana Comiter, People.com, 21 Nov. 2024
Definition of sarcastic
Adjective
  • Mann at his most satiric has Settembrini contributing an essay to a multivolume project whose purpose is to end suffering.
    George Packer, The Atlantic, 5 Nov. 2024
  • Others are satiric vignettes—pointed takedowns of sham humanitarians, sham foreign journalists, sham white saviors and their sham schemes to save the continent—whose villains can read more like stock inventions than like surprising ones.
    Alexis Okeowo, The New Yorker, 30 Oct. 2024
Definition of satiric
Adjective
  • Fluoride also replaces minerals lost from teeth due to acid breakdown, according to the agency.
    Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 6 Nov. 2024
  • Magnesium interferes with bisphosphonates used for osteoporosis, antibiotics, diuretics, and proton pump inhibitors used for acid reflux.8 Potassium: The kidneys regulate potassium levels.
    Amy Brownstein, MS, RDN, Verywell Health, 31 Oct. 2024
Definition of acid
Adjective
  • Conditions Triggered by Acidic Food Several conditions can be triggered by acidic foods.
    Angelica Bottaro, Verywell Health, 4 Nov. 2024
  • Other helpful adaptations include a featherless head to stay clean during feeding and a highly acidic digestive system to kill harmful bacteria.
    Ramon Padilla, USA TODAY, 23 Oct. 2024
Definition of acidic
Adjective
  • The doll’s custom packaging showcases illustrations of Karol G in the iconic Bratz style, complete with an iridescent barbed wire display.
    Ingrid Fajardo, Billboard, 25 Nov. 2024
  • Prior to the opening of the trail, the site of the northern headquarters of the 40,000-acre cattle ranch operation was little more than a few acres of nameless bullet-riddled stuff wrapped in a tangle of barbed wire.
    Mare Czinar, The Arizona Republic, 14 Nov. 2024
Definition of barbed
Adjective
  • Who could forget Peter Graves’ fish-eating pilot, Barbara Billingsley’s jive-talkin’ passenger, Robert Stack’s acerbic military vet or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s slow-boiling co-pilot?- Oh wait, that was Roger Murdock (wink-wink).
    Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 26 Nov. 2024
  • Others praised its use and Parker’s history as an acerbic writer.
    Nardine Saad, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2024
Definition of acerbic
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.

Thesaurus Entries Near acerb

acequias

acerb

acerbic

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Acerb.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/acerb. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on acerb

Nglish: Translation of acerb for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Plural and Possessive Names: A Guide

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)

9 Superb Owl Words

15 Words That Used to Mean Something Different
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
sweet smart pug puppy dog sitting in front of blackboard with chalk question marks
Commonly Confused Words Quiz Vol. 3 Do you have a (flare/flair) for choosing the righ...