mordacious

[ mawr-dey-shuhs ]
See synonyms for: mordaciousmordacity on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. biting or given to biting.

  2. sharp or caustic in style, tone, etc.

Origin of mordacious

1
1640–50; <Latin mordāci- (stem of mordāx given to biting) + -ous

Other words from mordacious

  • mor·da·cious·ly, adverb
  • mor·dac·i·ty [mawr-das-i-tee], /mɔrˈdæs ɪ ti/, noun

Words Nearby mordacious

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use mordacious in a sentence

  • Unable longer to endure the lash of his mordacious wit, Shaynon turned and left them alone on the balcony.

    The Day of Days | Louis Joseph Vance
  • Grand-duke and taxes were synonymes, according to this mordacious lexicographer!

British Dictionary definitions for mordacious

mordacious

/ (mɔːˈdeɪʃəs) /


adjective
  1. sarcastic, caustic, or biting

Origin of mordacious

1
C17: from Latin mordax, from mordēre to bite

Derived forms of mordacious

  • mordaciously, adverb
  • mordacity (mɔːˈdæsɪtɪ) or mordaciousness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012