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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Recent Examples of mordant
That movie was a mixed bag — watchable but no match for Moland’s own homeland original, In Order of Disappearance, a terrific Stellan Skarsgard vehicle that more effectively nailed the blend of tragedy, bloody violence and mordant humor.
—
David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 30 Oct. 2024
There’s mordant wit, too, in the fact that this woman’s liberation is wholly enabled by a man’s rash murder.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 9 Oct. 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for mordant
David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 30 Oct. 2024
There’s mordant wit, too, in the fact that this woman’s liberation is wholly enabled by a man’s rash murder.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 9 Oct. 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for mordant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mordant
Adjective
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Misery, a horror movie with a satiric streak, launched Bates’s film stardom.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
21 Feb. 2025
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The real star of the show, though, is not the satiric script or the campy performances, but rather how each character brings their own unique approach to dressing for the corporate ladder.—
Christian Allaire,
Vogue,
18 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Seinfeld is a Jewish man from New York’s Long Island with a wry and sarcastic sense of humor.—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
23 Feb. 2025
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Others lose a sense of trust by the sarcastic digs, eye rolls, interrupting, or belittling.—
Rachel Glik, Contributor,
CNBC,
4 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Basic Skin Care Routine The key to maintaining a healthy skin pH is a basic skin care routine that maintains the acid mantle.—
Mark Gurarie,
Verywell Health,
30 Oct. 2024
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Even perennials have varying soil needs: some prefer more acid or more alkaline soil, or prefer a wet site or a dry one.—
Beth Botts,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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As far as other watery places, bogs have been an especially rich source for archaeologists, since their acidic waters allow for an astonishing, mummy-like level of preservation.—
Alexander Nazaryan,
New York Times,
21 Feb. 2025
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Plants are better able to take up aluminum in acidic soil, ideally with a pH between 5.0 and 5.5.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
14 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Mengistu, a member of Israel's Ethiopian minority, entered the territory by crossing a barbed wire fence into Gaza.—
ASSOCIATED PRESS,
TIME,
22 Feb. 2025
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All pennies will henceforth be exiled to Guantanamo to live out their lives as former currency in orange jumpsuits, behind barbed wire, only inches from the best beaches ever.—
Barry Scott Zellen,
Hartford Courant,
18 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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He’s seen his power diminish on a parallel track with both his health and his relationship with Trump, who once praised him as an ally but has taken to criticizing him in caustic terms.—
Bruce Schreiner,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Feb. 2025
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Meanwhile, a conversation between Orsolya and her caustic mom (Annamária Biluska) reveals their origins as Hungarians who emigrated to Transylvania, a Romanian region filled with both pro and anti-Hungarian sentiment (also the subject of Mungiu’s excellent 2022 drama, R.M.N.).—
Jordan Mintzer,
The Hollywood Reporter,
19 Feb. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Mordant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mordant. Accessed 6 Mar. 2025.
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