Mordant: meaning, example and synonyms
Mordantadj. Sharply sarcastic or caustic in a biting, often witty way.
Example
The critic's mordant review mocked the novel's sprawling plot so cleverly that readers quoted her harshest lines at dinner parties for months.
- Part of speech
- adjective
- Synonyms
- caustic, biting, acerbic, sardonic
- Antonyms
- gentle, kindly, mild, flattering
- Memory tip
- Latin mordere = to bite: mordant wit has teeth.
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Check yourself: Mordant in context
The satirist's ______ wit spared no one; her essays skewered pompous officials so sharply that several demanded apologies.
Answer: mordant. Wit that skewers people sharply enough to offend is biting: mordant. Tractable (easily managed), onerous (burdensome) and prophetic (predictive) don't fit this context.
Known for his ______ commentary, the columnist once described the city's new stadium as a monument to optimism built entirely with other people's money.
Answer: mordant. A cutting, sarcastic description of the stadium shows mordant commentary. Tractable (easily managed), onerous (burdensome) and prophetic (predictive) don't fit this context.