mordant.

1. Sharp, cutting, and often darkly humorous in criticism.

2. A substance used to help a dye attach to a material.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• mordant wit
• mordant satire

On the page

His mordant wit unsettled the guests.

The play’s mordant satire spared no institution.

Usage notes

Primary category: literary. Forms: Comparative more mordant; superlative most mordant where gradation is meaningful. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings.