1
as in bitter
causing intense discomfort to one's skin
a biting wind that only the toughest football fans were willing to endure
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sarcastic
marked by the use of wit that is intended to cause hurt feelings
the biting comments by the pundits about the government's inaction
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of biting
Matthias Matthijs, Foreign Affairs, 12 Dec. 2025
The non-biting midge resembles a rice grain and survives in damp moss and algae along the Antarctic Peninsula.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 10 Dec. 2025
Shelley Bortz, CBS News, 27 Apr. 2026
Fernandez was everywhere, biting into tackles and being a main cog in Chelsea’s attacks.
—Beren Cross, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for biting
Adjective
France and Spain, by contrast, have centrist or center-left governments and favored a harder line and more biting retaliatory tariffs.
—Matthias Matthijs, Foreign Affairs, 12 Dec. 2025
The non-biting midge resembles a rice grain and survives in damp moss and algae along the Antarctic Peninsula.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 10 Dec. 2025
Verb
According to the arrest affidavit, Officer Manuel Pihakis of the Reserve Township Police Department is accused of biting his girlfriend during a confrontation at a hotel and spa.
—Shelley Bortz, CBS News, 27 Apr. 2026
Fernandez was everywhere, biting into tackles and being a main cog in Chelsea’s attacks.
—Beren Cross, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for biting
Recent Examples of Synonyms for biting
Adjective
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Down 3-1 after dropping the first three games, little has gone right for the Penguins against their most bitter rival, and advancing will require an improbable and historic comeback.—
Josh Yohe,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
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The bitter legal fight between Elon Musk and the leading artificial intelligence firm, OpenAI, led by Sam Altman, may come down to a few pages in one executive's personal diary.—
Deepa Seetharaman,
USA Today,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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In what neatly encapsulates the uncomfortable, rude, thin-skinned yet cruel, sarcastic and ultimately juvenile communication style of his online brood, the leader of the pack started with — what else — Lawrence’s looks.—
Kevin Dolak,
HollywoodReporter,
22 Apr. 2026
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Peters then offered a sarcastic parting line and left the set.—
Ryan Brennan
April 15,
Miami Herald,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Feeling restless and reckless, Michael (LJ Benet) is drawn to a hard-rocking local band that is secretly a quartet of young vampires that is literally sucking the life out of the community.—
Frank Rizzo,
Variety,
27 Apr. 2026
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In 1992, the Daily Mirror published photos of Bryan sucking on the royal’s toes while on vacation in Saint-Tropez.—
Stephanie Nolasco,
FOXNews.com,
23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Nikola Katic, a mountain of a defender, all elbows and sharp edges, was terrific before suffering a season-ending injury during Bosnia and Herzegovina’s World Cup qualification win over Italy.—
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
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Three candidates are vying to lead Chula Vista, San Diego County’s second-largest city, in the June primary, with the winner set to serve a four-year term atop a City Council that has been marked in recent years by sharp partisan division.—
Walker Armstrong,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Advertisement How the shooting unfolded The WHCA dinner is an annual event for White House staff and the press, typically featuring comedy and a satirical speech from the president.—
Rebecca Schneid,
Time,
26 Apr. 2026
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Now, the 67-year-old is taking on Broadway in The Balusters, a satirical comedy written by David Lindsay-Abaire and directed by Kenny Leon.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
PEOPLE,
26 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The scientists found both were composed of a fibrous material that contained many stinging cells called spirocysts, which belong exclusively to the branch of aquatic invertebrates known as cnidarians.—
Adam Kovac,
Scientific American,
23 Apr. 2026
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Parasitoids are specialized types of predatory insects that include non-stinging wasps, flies, and other insects.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
16 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Dense rows of Xs in the background suggest barbed wire.—
Ben Davis,
The New York Review of Books,
25 Apr. 2026
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The barbed fact is that the woman caught in the middle of this unusual male arrangement benefits from none of their newfound emotional enlightenment.—
Alexandra Schwartz,
New Yorker,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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One spring day in Paris many years ago, my wife, Diana, a most penetrating photographer, capable of seeing like no one else, decided, as an experiment, to walk across the city blindfolded.—
Hisham Matar,
Harper's Magazine,
2 Aug. 2024
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Since the war began in Gaza, more than six months ago, the Israeli magazine +972 has published some of the most penetrating reporting on the Israel Defense Forces’ conduct.—
Isaac Chotiner,
The New Yorker,
12 Apr. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Biting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/biting. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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