How to Use tongue-in-cheek in a Sentence

tongue-in-cheek

1 of 2 adjective
  • The band dropped a short, tongue-in-cheek video Monday morning to set the stage.
    Lawrence Specker | , al, 20 Mar. 2023
  • The scene in a diner at the end has a tasty tongue-in-cheek fatalism.
    Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 1 Sep. 2024
  • His tongue-in-cheek writing style makes this short piece a fun read.
    Sigal Samuel, Vox, 8 Sep. 2024
  • The Oscar winner also spoke of Viard’s tongue-in-cheek style.
    Thomas Adamson, ajc, 7 Mar. 2023
  • The outfit prompted a torrent of tongue-in-cheek questions online: Did the Pope have a new stylist?
    Leah Dolan, CNN, 28 Mar. 2023
  • The letter includes a number of tongue-in-cheek remarks throughout the page.
    Cami Mondeaux, Washington Examiner, 12 July 2023
  • The song is saccharine, soppy, and tongue-in-cheek, like all of Redd Kross’ best power pop songs.
    Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 28 June 2024
  • Board members will want to bookmark this tongue-in-cheek guide to Musk’s 10 laws of management.
    Lila MacLellan, Fortune, 21 Nov. 2023
  • But the tongue-in-cheek barbs didn’t faze Airbnb cofounder Chesky, who alongside Joe Gebbia became one of the first hosts on the platform in 2007.
    Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 20 May 2024
  • The tongue-in-cheek suggestion that any windfall would serve as the group’s retirement fund was just a joke, Reynolds said.
    Daniel Wu, Washington Post, 7 Feb. 2024
  • But spice aisle giant McCormick & Co. took issue with the tongue-in-cheek sticker.
    Katie Shepherd, Washington Post, 12 Oct. 2023
  • Then there’s the tongue-in-cheek impracticality of it all—fur and Lysol, well, likely won’t mix in the longterm.
    Elise Taylor, Vogue, 6 Dec. 2023
  • It was designed as a tongue-in-cheek meta-classroom for crypto concepts.
    Jeff Wilser, WIRED, 1 Aug. 2024
  • That tongue-in-cheek repulsiveness has come to define the young band from Denton.
    Brad Sanders, Chron, 6 Apr. 2023
  • Booker had a little tongue-in-cheek fun with it after Sunday’s game.
    Duane Rankin, The Arizona Republic, 27 Feb. 2023
  • This is slightly tongue-in-cheek but also a bit serious.
    Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 23 Apr. 2024
  • The tongue-in-cheek remark rings true every budget season, though the contention of last year’s talks seems absent, for now.
    Christen Smith | The Center Square, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 4 July 2024
  • Back in February, there was this exchange between you and John Cleese on X that got a little testy, but maybe tongue-in-cheek.
    Michael Schulman, The New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2024
  • The band, known for its tongue-in-cheek spin on its music, obviously noticed, too.
    Journal Sentinel, 28 Feb. 2024
  • Sometimes my tongue-in-cheek sense of humor does tend to get me in trouble, but the wedding wasn't as huge as everybody made it out [to be].
    Ariana Quihuiz, Peoplemag, 2 Oct. 2023
  • In less than a year, the brand has made a splash with its tongue-in-cheek marketing campaign, which has seen its founders extolling the joys of sipping tequila.
    Hudson Lindenberger, Forbes, 4 Sep. 2024
  • The tongue-in-cheek remark comes amid intense political strife in Venezuela.
    Jackson Walker, Baltimore Sun, 2 Aug. 2024
  • Offscreen, the actor has proven to be a man of many talents, penning a series of comedic books with tongue-in-cheek titles like A Goomba's Guide to Life.
    Chris Snellgrove, EW.com, 11 Feb. 2024
  • The band’s tongue-in-cheek lyrics touched on the importance of consent and the ease of juggling a polyamorous relationship with Google Calendar.
    oregonlive, 4 June 2023
  • The airline shot to fame for their tongue-in-cheek videos mocking themself and their passengers, a risky strategy which paid off.
    Layla Quaedvlieg, Condé Nast Traveler, 14 Aug. 2024
  • The trend eventually spawned Facebook groups, Tumblr memes and even a fitness class with its own line of viral tongue-in-cheek merch.
    Hannah Malach, WWD, 1 Aug. 2024
  • Most of the marketing is tongue-in-cheek, resonating with a younger crowd that appreciates the edgy campaigns.
    Tony Hawk, TIME, 2 Oct. 2024
  • Zoom in: The videos list local accolades with tongue-in-cheek awareness that people outside Ohio may be surprised to hear them.
    Alissa Widman Neese, Axios, 5 Aug. 2024
  • In one of the other tongue-in-cheek images, Ratajkowski is wearing a matching blue soft knit top and skirt with a sash identical to four other models.
    Hikmat Mohammed, WWD, 2 Oct. 2024
  • Not everyone cared for Salame’s tongue-in-cheek humor, however.
    Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 11 Oct. 2024
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tongue in cheek

2 of 2 adverb
  • The whole interview was done tongue in cheek.
  • And so, there’s a lot of things very much so on this record that are tongue in cheek.
    Starr Bowenbank, Billboard, 3 June 2022
  • The name of his place is tongue in cheek, says owner Frank Linn.
    Washington Post, 24 Aug. 2021
  • Wilford would have been straight ahead, no tongue in cheek.
    Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 7 Mar. 2022
  • His venting may have been a bit tongue in cheek, but with blink many things are tongue in cheek.
    George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 June 2023
  • Some writing above’s tongue in cheek; Some will only get laughs from the woke.
    Washington Post, 31 Mar. 2022
  • It’s sneaky, crafty, witty, a little bit tongue in cheek.
    Sonaiya Kelley, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2021
  • People, even people who smoke – tongue in cheek, are smart.
    Javier Hasse, Forbes, 2 Sep. 2021
  • Boyfriend combines high-speed rap screeds with tongue in cheek burlesque dancing to achieve one of the most unique vibes in the music biz.
    Doug MacCash, NOLA.com, 5 May 2018
  • Gag gifts can be a little tongue in cheek too, like this crafty converter.
    Mark Stock, Men's Health, 16 Nov. 2022
  • The two-hour-plus show was an early celebration for the sextet, with not a small amount of tongue in cheek.
    Gary Graff, Billboard, 29 Oct. 2021
  • Here’s a look at why each horse can and can’t win the Preakness — many serious, a few tongue in cheek and one destined to be right.
    Jason Frakes, The Courier-Journal, 17 May 2023
  • Here’s a look at why each horse can and can’t win the Preakness – many serious, a few tongue in cheek and one destined to be wrong.
    Jason Frakes, The Courier-Journal, 12 May 2021
  • With tongue in cheek, Boudreaux began calling herself the Admiral of the house float fleet.
    Doug MacCash, NOLA.com, 1 Feb. 2021
  • Travel photos can also be tongue in cheek, Mr. Wyzard said.
    New York Times, 29 Oct. 2019
  • Turbojugend, for example, have rules, many rules, most of which are tongue in cheek, and many of which concern the Kutte.
    Nancy Baym, WIRED, 10 July 2018
  • Listening to this album, there are these super-earnest moments backed up against some songs that are more tongue in cheek.
    Vulture, 14 Oct. 2022
  • Hill, maybe speaking tongue in cheek, had a different story on Thursday.
    David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 13 Oct. 2022
  • And while the Zena protective vests are made for the field, Welter offered another tongue in cheek suggestion.
    Jane Hanson, Forbes, 25 Jan. 2023
  • Other public-facing projects appear more tongue in cheek.
    Samantha Hissong, Rolling Stone, 11 Dec. 2021
  • The name is intended to be tongue in cheek and slightly subvert expectations.
    Brianna Wellen, Chicago Reader, 21 Mar. 2018
  • Perhaps because of his babyface personality, his tone in the video came across as more tongue in cheek than piledriver.
    Hank Tucker, Forbes, 15 June 2021
  • The host’s jabs, though often bawdy, were usually delivered with enough tongue in cheek to keep high-profile guests comfortable.
    Marc Fisher, Washington Post, 27 Dec. 2019
  • Some gripes may be tongue in cheek and have offered some rare levity as the GOP, with a new and slim majority, struggles to organize its caucus.
    Sarah Elbeshbishi, USA TODAY, 12 Jan. 2023
  • Watters often plays his role as provocateur with tongue in cheek and is prone to making outrageous statements.
    Stephen Battaglio, Los Angeles Times, 26 June 2023
  • That is the second piece of tongue in cheek criticism emanating from the country’s largest cinema chain inside a week.
    Patrick Frater, Variety, 28 July 2022
  • However, those quotes were believed to have been made tongue in cheek, and Hazard has already gone on record in the recent past about how Conte have markedly improved his game during the Italian's time at the helm.
    SI.com, 27 Sep. 2017
  • But Booker’s statements, which has since gone viral on social media, were decidedly tongue in cheek.
    Leada Gore | Lgore@al.com, al, 11 Aug. 2021
  • Dog stories revolved around displays of hunting prowess by these beloved partners and the friendly and amusing banter that involves grandiose accomplishments told with tongue in cheek.
    Steve Meyer, Anchorage Daily News, 11 June 2022
  • Scenes involving dismemberment have also been toned down, and gone are any explicit references to drugs (though some of the edits are definitely a bit tongue in cheek).
    Tracy Brown, The Seattle Times, 12 Dec. 2018

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tongue-in-cheek.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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