acerb

adjective

ə-ˈsərb How to pronounce acerb (audio)
Definition of acerbnext
as in sarcastic
marked by the use of wit that is intended to cause hurt feelings a professor with a rather acerb sense of humor

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for acerb
  1. sarcastic
  2. satiric
  3. acid
  4. acidic
  5. barbed
  6. acerbic
Adjective
  • Always down to gossip and party, Redmond exudes Gemini's energy through his zesty and sarcastic attitude.
    — Lisa Stardust, People.com, 31 Mar. 2025
  • This is not just a sarcastic take but a practical one.
    — Jaron Lanier, The New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2025
Definition of sarcastic
Adjective
  • That’s the premise of Douglas Is Cancelled, a cruelly funny 2024 BBC sitcom that seems very much in sync with satiric comedies such as The Office and W1A and Yes Minister.
    — Air Mail, Air Mail, 22 Mar. 2025
  • Misery, a horror movie with a satiric streak, launched Bates’s film stardom.
    — Tim Grierson, Vulture, 21 Feb. 2025
Definition of satiric
Adjective
  • Alice in Wonderland is the exception with a $1 billion global take, made with the acid stylings of Tim Burton and Johnny Depp when the latter was hot as hell in a pre-streaming 2010.
    — Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 31 Mar. 2025
  • The company is a leading supplier of liquid and dry, acid and bicarbonate concentrates for dialysis patients in the United States.
    — Quartz Intelligence Newsroom, Quartz, 20 Mar. 2025
Definition of acid
Adjective
  • Blueberries need a very acidic soil; have the soil pH checked before planting. 69.
    — Tom MacCubbin, The Orlando Sentinel, 29 Mar. 2025
  • Natural colors can be sensitive to heat, light, oxygen and changes in pH. Pigments extracted from berries, cabbage, and red radishes, for instance, may register as a purply-blue when used in a neutral-pH cookie dough but change to a pastel pink when added to an acidic lemonade.
    — Ali Bouzari, Bon Appetit Magazine, 28 Mar. 2025
Definition of acidic
Adjective
  • They are usually laid out in vast fields ahead of defensive positions, marked with barbed wire and warning signs Such minefields slow down or halt an enemy assault.
    — David Hambling, Forbes.com, 3 Apr. 2025
  • An enemy then grabs the barbed wire with his bare hands — which already sounds like a bad idea, btw — only for the wire to shock him backward.
    — Dalton Ross, EW.com, 20 Mar. 2025
Definition of barbed
Adjective
  • Hub is a second-generation bondsman, having followed in the footsteps of his acerbic mother — and, as a middle-aged divorcée, roommate — Kitty (Beth Grant).
    — Alison Herman, Variety, 3 Apr. 2025
  • Yelena, Ava and Walker jump in, and everyone takes out the troops with their acerbic fighting skills.
    — Nancy Tartaglione, Deadline, 3 Apr. 2025
Definition of acerbic
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

acequias
acerb
acerbic
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Cite this Entry

“Acerb.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/acerb. Accessed 11 Apr. 2025.

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