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
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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The Call of the Wild
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A Separate Peace
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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.
That philosophy is a lively rejoinder to the notion of a bucket list, that neat inventory of goals and destinations that one supposedly ticks off with businesslike efficiency.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 7, 2026
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
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
Nelthilta’s rejoinder to Chervil in the run had been full of hatred, but this doe’s gaze spoke of wrongs beyond her power to express.
From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams
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.
