as in sarcastic
marked by the use of wit that is intended to cause hurt feelings
whispered a steady stream of acerbic comments as the lecturer droned on
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 acerbic
With further prompting and training, the model was able to come much closer to Rubin’s acerbic, anti-PC style.
—
Andrew R. Chow, Time, 1 Aug. 2025
Nourished by Time’s Marcus Brown directed the video himself, setting his acerbic assessment of the American Dream at the New Jersey entertainment complex of the same name.
—Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 29 July 2025
Singer-songwriter Tom Lehrer, a satirist who gained prominence in the 1950s and 1960s for his acerbic take on politics and social life, has died, according to reports.
—Edward Segarra, USA Today, 28 July 2025
Season one ends with Chris sitting on his stoop, pondering the complexity of life, next to the ghost of his racist dad, Auggie (Robert Patrick) (it’s inferred that the guy will be hanging around like an acerbic Obi-Wan Kenobi in season 2).
—Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 26 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for acerbic
Andrew R. Chow, Time, 1 Aug. 2025
Nourished by Time’s Marcus Brown directed the video himself, setting his acerbic assessment of the American Dream at the New Jersey entertainment complex of the same name.
—Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 29 July 2025
Singer-songwriter Tom Lehrer, a satirist who gained prominence in the 1950s and 1960s for his acerbic take on politics and social life, has died, according to reports.
—Edward Segarra, USA Today, 28 July 2025
Season one ends with Chris sitting on his stoop, pondering the complexity of life, next to the ghost of his racist dad, Auggie (Robert Patrick) (it’s inferred that the guy will be hanging around like an acerbic Obi-Wan Kenobi in season 2).
—Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 26 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for acerbic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for acerbic
Adjective
-
His witty, sarcastic, and often controversial commentary is the soundtrack to a generation of wrestling fans.—
Andrew Ravens,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Sep. 2025
-
She’s matched wonderfully by Cooke, who leans into her actual Manchester accent to give Cherry a stroppy, sarcastic bent and whose body looks absolutely banging wrapped in an array of oxblood, maroon, and cerise minidresses.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Mugs and satirical commemorative plates are some of the items that can be seen on display in a local gift shop.—
Callum Sutherland,
Time,
16 Sep. 2025
-
The 2025 South Korean satirical black comedy thriller is co-written, produced and directed by Park Chan-wook (Decision To Leave, Old Boy, The Handmaiden).—
Joan MacDonald,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Rainwater reacts with carbon dioxide in the air and becomes slightly acidic, wearing away at rock exposed on the Earth’s surface.—
Peter Brannen,
Quanta Magazine,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Producing such minerals in a lifeless place would probably require acidic conditions or high temperatures—and the area showed signs of neither.—
David W. Brown,
New Yorker,
13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Only those working at the listening station (kept separate from the rest of the compound with barbed wire and a guard shack) knew what was really going on.—
A.K. Whitney,
Oc Register,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Thailand says the barbed wire was set up to prevent the planting of mines and is on its own land.—
Matthew Tostevin,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
This touchscreen pod machine has a lot to offer, including rich, balanced, coffee; a whopping eight brewing sizes; one-touch presets for low-acid, Americano, iced coffee, and cold brew; plus customizable temperature control and brew strength.—
Mark Marino,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
29 Aug. 2025
-
How does the new silver extraction method work The technology, known as Jet Electrochemical Silver Extraction (JESE), uses a fine stream of weak acid to dissolve silver directly from the panel surface in seconds—the acid stream targets only the silver, leaving everything else untouched.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Acerbic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/acerbic. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share