witticism
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of witticism
1645–55; derivative of witty, modeled on criticism
Explanation
Witticism describes something funny that someone says, like a pun or little joke. You may have heard that it is good to start off a speech with witticism because if you make the audience laugh, it'll help them — and you — relax. English playwright and poet John Dryden coined the word witticism in the 17th century, combining the words witty and criticism to come up with a word to describe a clever quip that has a hint of sharpness or irony. A witticism is typically a one-liner that humorously sums up the current situation — with a little bit of attitude thrown in.
Vocabulary lists containing witticism
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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 kind of anguished, not-funny witticism is another commonplace of the American educated classes: OMG, what has happened to this country?
From Salon ● May 31, 2026
“It’s a witticism, which is fine as a witticism,” Muñoz Machado told Spanish news agency EFE.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 26, 2023
“When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do, sir?” is a witticism attributed frequently but inaccurately to the great 20th-century British economist John Maynard Keynes.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 7, 2020
That’s the charm of Finch’s style and Charles’s own manner of sleuthing — a brilliant display of brainy deduction, followed by a self-deprecating witticism or a philosophical bit of wisdom.
From New York Times ● Mar. 6, 2020
You will perhaps appreciate then my disappointment concerning my witticism yesterday evening.
From "The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro
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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.
