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
Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 7 May 2026
Video of the incident shows the boy trying to scramble up the bank to safety as the beaver chases him before biting him on the thigh.
—Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 7 May 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
Any wild animal that passes through can deposit these biting insects on your lawn.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 7 May 2026
Video of the incident shows the boy trying to scramble up the bank to safety as the beaver chases him before biting him on the thigh.
—Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 7 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for biting
Recent Examples of Synonyms for biting
Adjective
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But their styles could hardly be more different, and their feud has grown so bitter that their rivals are appealing to voters exhausted by the brawling.—
Greg Bluestein,
AJC.com,
18 May 2026
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The verdict concludes a dramatic chapter in Musk and Altman’s bitter feud, and paves the way for OpenAI to go public, in one of the largest IPOs expected to date.—
Rachyl Jones,
semafor.com,
18 May 2026
Adjective
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Now, in a more intimate setting, the sullen and sometimes-sarcastic shadings of this longtime singer-songwriter should hark back to Folds’ fledgling days on the alt-music scene.—
David L. Coddon,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 May 2026
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In addition to Miranda's scathing remarks to Andy (Anne Hathaway) while trying to complete seemingly impossible tasks, Emily (Emily Blunt) and Nigel (Stanley Tucci) taught her how to navigate office politics with their own sarcastic comments.—
Christopher Rudolph,
PEOPLE,
3 May 2026
Verb
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These images do not romanticize the West as much as document how difficult, life-sucking and under-appreciated this job can be.—
Ray Mark Rinaldi,
Denver Post,
18 May 2026
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Check out this play from Game 4 of the Knicks’ soul-sucking sweep of the Philadelphia 76ers.—
Fred Katz,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
Adjective
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Double-bass glissandos hint at hands grubbing in the earth, while abrupt moments of concerted action—notably, an accordion wheezing out an F-sharp-minor chord—suggest flickering signals and transmissions.—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
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The summit will take place amid a sharp sell-off in global bond markets.—
Hugh Leask,Holly Ellyatt,
CNBC,
18 May 2026
Adjective
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Its satirical aim feels spot-on.—
Inkoo Kang,
New Yorker,
17 May 2026
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Carter was the founder of the satirical monthly Spy and newsletter Air Mail.—
Matt Donnelly,
Variety,
14 May 2026
Adjective
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Coming up short in the 2025 ISL boys lacrosse championship left a stinging sensation for Tabor Academy.—
Brendan Connelly,
Boston Herald,
17 May 2026
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Parasitoids are non-stinging wasps, flies, and other insects that develop on or in a host, eventually killing it.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
9 May 2026
Adjective
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Misogyny runs deep, quiet, local, and sharp as barbed wire.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 May 2026
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Surveillance camera footage captured Mott scaling an 8-foot fence topped with barbed wire at the perimeter of the airport in just 15 seconds, then walking across the runway.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
13 May 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 20 May. 2026.
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