as in bitterness
biting sharpness of feeling or expression
the surprising mordancy with which the two physicians contested each other's claim to having discovered an effective vaccine for polio
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Recent Examples of mordancy
But Lloyd’s version brims with mordancy.
—
Sarah Weinman, New York Times, 10 Feb. 2023
The gray-tint, cross-hatched drawings evoke George Cruikshank and Samuel Palmer, but the mordancy is vintage Sendak.
—The Week Staff, The Week, 17 Oct. 2022
Sarah Weinman, New York Times, 10 Feb. 2023
The gray-tint, cross-hatched drawings evoke George Cruikshank and Samuel Palmer, but the mordancy is vintage Sendak.
—The Week Staff, The Week, 17 Oct. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mordancy
Noun
-
Matthew Tkachuk’s injury Of utmost importance for the Panthers now that the tournament has concluded: Figuring out the severity of Matthew Tkachuk’s lower-body injury that hobbled him for most of the tournament.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
21 Feb. 2025
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Rivers told reporters that the risk of the appeal being unsuccessful and the suspension then ending later in the season was too great of a risk, even if the team disagreed with the severity of the punishment.—
Eric Nehm,
The Athletic,
21 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The stakes for Thursday's game were raised amid physical hostility between the teams throughout the tournament and geopolitical tension between the two countries in recent weeks.—
Jackson Thompson,
Fox News,
21 Feb. 2025
-
Police said Mangione was in possession of a firearm matching the one used in the shooting, a fake ID and a notebook expressing hostility toward the health insurance industry and wealthy executives.—
Katherine Fung,
Newsweek,
21 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Everything about the movement surprised political observers: its virulence, its magnitude, its provincial origins, its apparent lack of structure and leadership, and its adamant refusal to be co-opted by existing political parties and unions.—
Arthur Goldhammer,
Foreign Affairs,
12 Dec. 2018
-
An ePPP is a pathogen that has been modified to enhance its transmissibility and virulence.—
Siladitya Ray,
Forbes,
27 Nov. 2024
Noun
-
This starts with inflammation, and the ducts eventually close, leading to bile (digestive fluid) buildup in the liver.—
Mark Gurarie,
Health,
13 Dec. 2024
-
Primary sclerosing cholangitis is when a person's bile ducts become chronically inflamed and scarred, impairing bile transport and fat absorption.—
Colleen Doherty,
Verywell Health,
13 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Pete Hegseth, Trump’s profoundly unqualified defense secretary, made the malice clear by calling explicitly for Brown’s ouster along with that of any other officer involved with DEI.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
25 Feb. 2025
-
Woe’s Hollow is where Kier Eagan first tamed the four tempers of the human soul: woe, frolic, dread, and malice.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
7 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Tapping into his own anger helped bring Kelly's character out, Sullivan explains.—
Abigail Adams,
People.com,
14 Feb. 2025
-
Each take, often running over 12 minutes long, captured the rawness of her journey — her anger, her tears, and her vulnerability.—
Bill Desowitz,
IndieWire,
14 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Mordancy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mordancy. Accessed 1 Mar. 2025.
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