noun
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a reply or response to a question or remark, esp a quick witty one; retort
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law (in pleading) the answer made by a defendant to the claimant's reply
Synonym Usage
See answer.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of rejoinder
1475–85; < Middle French rejoindre (noun use of infinitive); see rejoin 2
Explanation
A rejoinder usually means a witty comeback. If someone asks you a silly question like, "Are you painting?" when you are holding a paint can and a brush, your rejoinder could be, "No, I'm just doing my nails." The word rejoinder comes from the Middle French word rejoindre, which meant to answer a legal charge. The meaning of a witty retort developed from the legal meaning. You often think of the best rejoinders long after the crucial moments have passed, which can be really frustrating.
Vocabulary lists containing rejoinder
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The remarks landed as a pointed rejoinder to Chalamet, who sparked a firestorm last month after appearing to question the cultural relevance of classical performance arts.
From Barron's ● Mar. 14, 2026
They’re a rejoinder to all the fatalistic commentary about tanking and how “being bad to get better” is an accepted reality of the NBA.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 2, 2026
Whatever the cause, it is not some trifling oversight; this blunder undermined Ziegler’s most important legal rejoinder to the majority.
From Slate ● Nov. 26, 2025
Falwell’s rejoinder: “Why don’t you have some murderers and bank robbers and so forth to represent?”
From Salon ● Jan. 9, 2025
But by the time I’d decided to rejoinder with a perfectly acceptable, “Pretty good, and you?” his back was already to me.
From "From Twinkle, with Love" by Sandhya Menon
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
