MORDANT Synonyms: 89 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the adjective 'mordant' contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of mordant are acrid , caustic , and scathing . While all these words mean "stingingly incisive," mordant suggests a wit that is used with deadly effectiveness. // mordant reviews of the play

Q: When might 'acrid' be a better fit than 'mordant'?

The synonyms acrid and mordant are sometimes interchangeable, but acrid implies bitterness and often malevolence. // acrid invective

Q: When would 'caustic' be a good substitute for 'mordant'?

The meanings of caustic and mordant largely overlap; however, caustic suggests a biting wit. // caustic comments

Q: When can 'scathing' be used instead of 'mordant'?

While in some cases nearly identical to mordant , scathing implies indignant attacks delivered with fierce severity. // a scathing satire

mordant

adjective

ˈmȯr-dᵊnt

Definition of mordant next

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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How does the adjective mordant contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of mordant are acrid, caustic, and scathing. While all these words mean "stingingly incisive," mordant suggests a wit that is used with deadly effectiveness.

mordant reviews of the play

When might acrid be a better fit than mordant?

The synonyms acrid and mordant are sometimes interchangeable, but acrid implies bitterness and often malevolence.

acrid invective

When would caustic be a good substitute for mordant?

The meanings of caustic and mordant largely overlap; however, caustic suggests a biting wit.

caustic comments

When can scathing be used instead of mordant?

While in some cases nearly identical to mordant, scathing implies indignant attacks delivered with fierce severity.

a scathing satire

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 mordant His allusions can be hard to follow, but his mordant wit repays the effort. —

The Week Us, theweek, 17 Sep. 2024 As fiction, this is mordant comedy—a mockery of the particular type of arrogance required to twist the tragedies of the Holocaust into personal gain. —

Megan Garber, The Atlantic, 5 Sep. 2024 Anna Marie Tendler’s mordant account of her life suggests a single source for her pain. —

Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 16 Aug. 2024 Dolly Alderton is something of a modern-day Nora Ephron, bringing a fresh and mordant perspective to the eternal struggle between the sexes. —

Chloe Schama, Vogue, 18 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for mordant

Recent Examples of Synonyms for mordant

Adjective

Gad originated the role of Elder Cunningham alongside Andrew Rannells' Elder Price in a satiric look at two young missionaries' misguided attempts to spread the gospel in a small Ugandan village.

— Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 16 Jan. 2025
The show isn't satiric so much as amused by the absurd lengths to which the Kaylas of our society will go in pursuit of self-definition.

— Tom Gliatto, People.com, 10 Dec. 2024