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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Recent Examples of acerbic
Others praised its use and Parker’s history as an acerbic writer.
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Nardine Saad, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2024
One of the guests, a local city administrator who had spent years abroad, delivered an acerbic speech about Lebanon’s failure to cohere as a country.
—Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 31 Oct. 2024
The international star landed on Greek auteur Yorgos Lanthimos’ radar for his absurdist comedy The Lobster (2015); the two reunited for The Favourite (2018), where her acerbic performance landed her another Oscar nod.
—Andrew Walsh, EW.com, 26 Oct. 2024
While Jesse Eisenberg plays Mark Zuckerberg as an acerbic genius who has codified his victim complex into every decision, Garfield taps into the incredulity and exasperation of being punished for not validating every whim of Zuckerberg’s entrepreneurism.
—Rory Doherty, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for acerbic 
Nardine Saad, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2024
One of the guests, a local city administrator who had spent years abroad, delivered an acerbic speech about Lebanon’s failure to cohere as a country.
—Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 31 Oct. 2024
The international star landed on Greek auteur Yorgos Lanthimos’ radar for his absurdist comedy The Lobster (2015); the two reunited for The Favourite (2018), where her acerbic performance landed her another Oscar nod.
—Andrew Walsh, EW.com, 26 Oct. 2024
While Jesse Eisenberg plays Mark Zuckerberg as an acerbic genius who has codified his victim complex into every decision, Garfield taps into the incredulity and exasperation of being punished for not validating every whim of Zuckerberg’s entrepreneurism.
—Rory Doherty, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for acerbic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for acerbic
Adjective
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The comment quickly spread like wildfire online, causing much confusion about if his comment was sarcastic or a dig at the country crooner.Amber Corrine, VIBE.com, 22 Nov. 2024
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While the main cast all reprised their roles, Rapp’s Leighton Murray, the ultra-wealthy, sarcastic sorority girl whose journey of self-discovery was central to the first two seasons, is bidding her farewell.Jordana Comiter, People.com, 21 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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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
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Mann at his most satiric has Settembrini contributing an essay to a multivolume project whose purpose is to end suffering.George Packer, The Atlantic, 5 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Soil Composition The Christmas cactus prefers a well-draining soil that is neutral or acidic.Heather Bien, Southern Living, 10 Dec. 2024
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Plus, the enamel can handle acidic pan sauces that would jeopardize the seasoning of a regular cast iron.Emily Farris, Bon Appétit, 3 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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One woman applied a dolphin design to her face; one of the men in the group got a barbed wire design running across his neck; while the pick of the bunch saw another of the guys opt for an Illuminati-style pyramid tattoo on his forehead.Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2024
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Under the glaring sun, people poured toward the notorious facility north of Damascus, as traffic stretched for miles and some left their cars to walk the last stretch uphill, past barbed wire fences and watchtowers.Clarissa Ward, CNN, 10 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Now, there’s thriving wetlands, a hemlock forest and trout stream, all made possible by a limestone retention pond the school built to naturally filter and clean the acid mine drainage.Chris Papst, Baltimore Sun, 7 Nov. 2024
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Faisal Halim, who plays as a winger for the national team and Malaysian club Selangor, was hospitalized with fourth-degree burns following an acid attack by two assailants at a shopping mall on Sunday.San Diego Union-Tribune, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 May 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Acerbic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/acerbic. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
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