BITING Synonyms: 108 Similar and Opposite Words

biting 1 of 2

adjective

ˈbī-tiŋ

Definition of biting

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

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

biting

2 of 2

verb

present participle of bite, informal + sometimes impolite

as in sucking

to be objectionable or unsatisfactory man, that really bites that you have to work on the weekend

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of biting

Adjective

These pesky, tiny biting insects can be a nuisance and prevent you from enjoying time outside in your yard. — Lauren David, Southern Living, 29 May 2026 Netflix’s big comedy bet might be the Dan Levy–Rachel Sennott co-creation Big Mistakes; the biting, farcical series about adult siblings who get caught up in the drug business plays like Weeds crossed with The Other Two. — Joe Reid, Vulture, 2 May 2026

Verb

Now, sales are slowing, tariff costs are biting, and war is pushing gas prices higher. — Philipp Kampshoff, Fortune, 30 July 2026 Chewing involves biting or gnawing without necessarily swallowing. — Ryan Brennan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for biting

Recent Examples of Synonyms for biting

Adjective

Democrats endured a bitter and expensive campaign that became a proxy battle between the party’s establishment and progressive wings.

— ABC News, ABC News, 4 Aug. 2026
When the siblings finally arrive, the bitter, suffocating reality that awaits them proves far harsher than Lucila had imagined.

— Leo Barraclough, Variety, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of bitter

Adjective

The other sarcastic superhero-ed character that makes a few cameos in the film has their own connection to Spider-Man – again, centered on loneliness and eventually learning to open up from their own recent film.

— Laura Sirikul, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026
In the present, Lara meets Mari, a sarcastic and blunt high school tomboy who competes as a boxer.

— Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 24 July 2026

Definition of sarcastic

Verb

Mora edits each episode himself, often while sucking on pouches of Zyn.

— Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 28 July 2026
The movie keeps getting tangled in a complicated web of its own making, one that feels all too familiar after several decades of superhero cinema sucking up the cultural oxygen.

— David Fear, Rolling Stone, 28 July 2026

Definition of sucking

Adjective

The satirical youth movement — formed in response to comments comparing unemployed young people to cockroaches — resonated with her.

— Priyanka Salve,Raksha Murali, CNBC, 2 Aug. 2026
This was capitalized on by the CJP which originated as a satirical online movement created by Abhijeet Dipke, a Boston University graduate.

— Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 28 July 2026

Definition of satiric

Adjective

That move came just as the clock was running out Friday on stopgap levies the president imposed after a stinging defeat for other tariffs at the Supreme Court.

— ABC News, ABC News, 24 July 2026
The researchers' device aims to solve the stinging problem by physically preventing this meeting (unfortunately no images of it are available at this time).

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 30 June 2026

Definition of stinging

Adjective

Another drone created a smoke screen while still more blasted through triple-layered barbed wire.

— Anna Mulrine Grobe, Christian Science Monitor, 31 July 2026
The train station hulked behind barbed wire, abandoned for years, both witness to and eight million bricks’ worth of evidence of Detroit's near-collapse.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 July 2026

Definition of barbed

Adjective

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
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

Definition of penetrating

Cite this Entry

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“Biting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/biting. Accessed 5 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of biting

adjective

verb

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