mordacious

[mawr-dey-shuh s]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR mordacious ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

biting or given to biting.

sharp or caustic in style, tone, etc.

Origin of mordacious

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

Related formsmor·da·cious·ly, adverbmor·dac·i·ty

[mawr-das-i-tee] /mɔrˈdæs ɪ ti/, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for mordacious

acerbic, acid, acidic, acrid, acrimonious, astringent, bitter, caustic, corrosive, cutting, incisive, mordant, pungent, scathing, severe, sharp, slashing, trenchant, truculent, vitriolic

Examples from the Web for mordacious

Historical Examples of mordacious

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!
Curiosities of Literature, Vol. 3 (of 3)
Isaac Disraeli

British Dictionary definitions for mordacious

mordacious

adjective

sarcastic, caustic, or biting

Derived Formsmordaciously, adverbmordacity (mɔːˈdæsɪtɪ) or mordaciousness, noun

Word Origin for mordacious

C17: from Latin mordax, from mordēre to bite

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

Word Origin and History for mordacious

adj.

"given to biting," 1640s (originally figurative), from Latin mordac-, stem of mordax, from mordere "to bite," perhaps from PIE root mer- (2) "to rub, harm" (see smart (v.)). Related: Mordacity.