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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of acerbic
When Dutchman opened at the Cherry Lane Theater in 1964, its acerbic take on the relationship between white and Black Americans shocked audiences.
—
Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Mar. 2025
And when Beck has the delightfully acerbic Agnes, a cook who appears to be on duty 24/7, on staff?
—Chris Klimek, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2025
Last week’s changes to hateful conduct rules allow users to post more acerbic criticism, including about gender and ethnicity.
—Paresh Dave, WIRED, 15 Jan. 2025
Writer/director Maybury tells this turbulent story with the acerbic wit and fragmented formalism befitting of the titular artist and his work.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 6 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for acerbic
Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Mar. 2025
And when Beck has the delightfully acerbic Agnes, a cook who appears to be on duty 24/7, on staff?
—Chris Klimek, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2025
Last week’s changes to hateful conduct rules allow users to post more acerbic criticism, including about gender and ethnicity.
—Paresh Dave, WIRED, 15 Jan. 2025
Writer/director Maybury tells this turbulent story with the acerbic wit and fragmented formalism befitting of the titular artist and his work.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 6 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for acerbic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for acerbic
Adjective
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Always down to gossip and party, Redmond exudes Gemini's energy through his zesty and sarcastic attitude.—
Lisa Stardust,
People.com,
31 Mar. 2025
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This is not just a sarcastic take but a practical one.—
Jaron Lanier,
The New Yorker,
22 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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That’s the premise of Douglas Is Cancelled, a cruelly funny 2024 BBC sitcom that seems very much in sync with satiric comedies such as The Office and W1A and Yes Minister.—
Air Mail,
Air Mail,
22 Mar. 2025
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Misery, a horror movie with a satiric streak, launched Bates’s film stardom.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
21 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Blueberries need a very acidic soil; have the soil pH checked before planting. 69.—
Tom MacCubbin,
The Orlando Sentinel,
29 Mar. 2025
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Natural colors can be sensitive to heat, light, oxygen and changes in pH. Pigments extracted from berries, cabbage, and red radishes, for instance, may register as a purply-blue when used in a neutral-pH cookie dough but change to a pastel pink when added to an acidic lemonade.—
Ali Bouzari,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
28 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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They are usually laid out in vast fields ahead of defensive positions, marked with barbed wire and warning signs Such minefields slow down or halt an enemy assault.—
David Hambling,
Forbes.com,
3 Apr. 2025
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An enemy then grabs the barbed wire with his bare hands — which already sounds like a bad idea, btw — only for the wire to shock him backward.—
Dalton Ross,
EW.com,
20 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Alice in Wonderland is the exception with a $1 billion global take, made with the acid stylings of Tim Burton and Johnny Depp when the latter was hot as hell in a pre-streaming 2010.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
31 Mar. 2025
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The company is a leading supplier of liquid and dry, acid and bicarbonate concentrates for dialysis patients in the United States.—
Quartz Intelligence Newsroom,
Quartz,
20 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Acerbic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/acerbic. Accessed 11 Apr. 2025.
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