as in sarcastic
marked by the use of wit that is intended to cause hurt feelings
whispered a steady stream of acerbic comments as the lecturer droned on
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of acerbic
Resurrecting a Radical Artist: Forty years after his death, the Californian activist Peter Carr gets a revival of his acerbic paintings and drawings.
—
Travis Diehl, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2025
Jean-Baptiste gives an acerbic and unsettling performance — but one not Oscar voters honored.
—Eric Andersson, People.com, 23 Jan. 2025
La Salle has been a working actor for decades, and is mostly known for his 15 year run as the acerbic Dr. Peter Benton on the award-winning medical drama ER.
—Anne Easton, Forbes, 14 Jan. 2025
But rather than playing it safe, the foremost roast mistress delivered a masterful 10-minute monologue that was hilariously acerbic, pointed, and playful enough to keep the crowd on her good side.
—Ew Staff, EW.com, 9 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for acerbic 
Travis Diehl, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2025
Jean-Baptiste gives an acerbic and unsettling performance — but one not Oscar voters honored.
—Eric Andersson, People.com, 23 Jan. 2025
La Salle has been a working actor for decades, and is mostly known for his 15 year run as the acerbic Dr. Peter Benton on the award-winning medical drama ER.
—Anne Easton, Forbes, 14 Jan. 2025
But rather than playing it safe, the foremost roast mistress delivered a masterful 10-minute monologue that was hilariously acerbic, pointed, and playful enough to keep the crowd on her good side.
—Ew Staff, EW.com, 9 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for acerbic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for acerbic
Adjective
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Ally and Jay are both sarcastic, too — their best lines are muttered under their breaths — and their repartee becomes more interesting than the bloody theatrics.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Feb. 2025
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When Filip Hronek took a soft point shot that Darcy Kuemper stopped shortly after, the crowd responded with a sarcastic Bronx cheer.—
Harman Dayal,
The Athletic,
16 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The tone, like the title, is satiric and pitch black.—
Andrew Silow-Carroll,
Sun Sentinel,
30 Jan. 2025
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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
Adjective
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Plant the carrot seed in deep, loose soil free of rocks with a slightly acidic pH. Instead of putting carrot plants where other members of the carrot family grew or are growing, consider placing it near a sage plant (a good companion for preventing carrot rust flies).—
Lauren Thomann,
Better Homes & Gardens,
8 Feb. 2025
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Bittersweet chocolate provides a pronounced bitter and even slightly acidic flavor.—
Gretchen McKay,
Twin Cities,
5 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Away in a northeasterly direction towards Lake Pontchartrain sits a charmless, gated perimeter, secured by a fence topped with barbed wire.—
Adam Crafton,
The Athletic,
8 Feb. 2025
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This is Auschwitz-Birkenau, a place where the Nazis treated people like animals caged in by electrified barbed wire, where prisoners died slowly by a combination of slave labor, human experimentation, starvation and disease.—
Jesse Kirsch,
NBC News,
2 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
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Cite this Entry
“Acerbic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/acerbic. Accessed 22 Feb. 2025.
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