as in satiric
marked by the use of wit that is intended to cause hurt feelings
a mordant review of the movie that compared it to having one's teeth pulled for two hours
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of mordant
Like much of the Coens’ work, these are tragedies tinged with mordant humor and punctuated by the bleakest twists of fate.
—
Sezin Devi Keohler, EW.com, 29 Mar. 2025
The Pornographer is a riposte to the banning of The Dark, a very mordant kind of revenge.
—Sam Sacks, Harper's Magazine, 2 Jan. 2025
Separated by interstitial shots of Cluj’s ahistorical new architecture, these long and static confessional scenes are spiked with Jude’s recognizably mordant wit, their dialogue timely enough to distract from the feeling of shooting fish in a barrel.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 19 Feb. 2025
The excesses of 1980s academia are ripe fodder for de Kretser’s mordant wit, but her aim here is more ambitious — and the results more rewarding.
—Emily Eakin, New York Times, 18 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mordant
Sezin Devi Keohler, EW.com, 29 Mar. 2025
The Pornographer is a riposte to the banning of The Dark, a very mordant kind of revenge.
—Sam Sacks, Harper's Magazine, 2 Jan. 2025
Separated by interstitial shots of Cluj’s ahistorical new architecture, these long and static confessional scenes are spiked with Jude’s recognizably mordant wit, their dialogue timely enough to distract from the feeling of shooting fish in a barrel.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 19 Feb. 2025
The excesses of 1980s academia are ripe fodder for de Kretser’s mordant wit, but her aim here is more ambitious — and the results more rewarding.
—Emily Eakin, New York Times, 18 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mordant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mordant
Adjective
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The poem is part love quest, part account of Italy’s battles; in places profoundly serious, in places satiric.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
11 June 2025
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Neither damning nor satiric, W. is oddly wistful, almost regretful — rare sentiments in a Stone film.—
Will Leitch,
Vulture,
17 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Practically speaking, Pegasus is intelligent and resourceful, sarcastic and strong-minded, with a sharp personality and a quick wit.—
EW Staff,
EW.com,
27 May 2025
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Still, Ernst shared a sarcastic apology video after facing criticism from Democrats over her response to the town hall attendees' concerns.—
Savannah Kuchar,
USA Today,
2 June 2025
Adjective
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The floors are done in chestnut-toned wood, with acid green carpets made from bamboo silk, while the VVIP suite has its own private sitting room.—
Samantha Conti,
Footwear News,
11 June 2025
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Fluoride also replaces minerals lost from teeth due to acid breakdown, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.—
Mary Kekatos,
ABC News,
3 June 2025
Adjective
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The finish is bright, pleasantly acidic, and long lasting.—
Mike DeSimone,
Robb Report,
12 June 2025
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The finished dish is bright, acidic, and perfectly seasoned.—
Sarah Martens,
Better Homes & Gardens,
9 June 2025
Adjective
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Louisiana Attorney General's Office via AP The group of inmates escaped by yanking open a faulty cell door, removing a toilet, crawling through a hole and scaling a barbed wire fence in the early morning hours when a lone guard left to get food.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
9 June 2025
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Washington, of course, knows all of this and has responded with barbed words.—
Daniel DePetris,
Chicago Tribune,
27 May 2025
Adjective
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Eleanor is played by Pippa Knowles with a playful, caustic vibrance that seizes the screen.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
10 June 2025
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For Chicago and spanning to borders far beyond, there was media personality Gary Deeb as the caustic gatekeeper of all things TV, radio and media reporting about what and who to watch and when and where to listen.—
Philip Potempa,
Chicago Tribune,
4 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Mordant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mordant. Accessed 26 Jun. 2025.
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