adjective
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piercing; keen
a biting wind
-
sarcastic; incisive
a biting comment
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of biting
First recorded in 1250–1300, biting is from the Middle English word bitynge. See bite, -ing 2
Explanation
Anything biting is sharp and painful, like the biting wind off that rolls off a frozen lake on a blustery day. A biting dog has the tendency, literally, to bite with its sharp teeth. A more common, figurative way to use this adjective is to mean either "painfully cold" or "cruel." So there's the biting cold of January in Minnesota, but there's also the biting remark of someone whose words are just as agonizing.
Vocabulary lists containing biting
Chill Out! Synonyms for "Cold"
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List 3
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Cold
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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.
Known as deer keds, these biting flies are found throughout Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas.
From Science Daily • Jun. 2, 2026
Champ died that June, and Major was relocated to a “quieter environment” after biting a Secret Service agent and National Park Service employee on White House grounds.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 1, 2026
“The Late Show” may be leaving CBS, but Colbert’s voice — and his biting satire — aren’t going anywhere.
From Salon • May 19, 2026
Bolton were, after all, a prolific play-off side, having twice won promotion to the Premier League via the nail biting end-of-season competition.
From BBC • May 14, 2026
But right now she was biting her lip just as indecisively as Lola.
From "The School for Whatnots" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Definitions 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.
