Antarctic air brought biting cold to southern Chile on Thursday.
Synonyms: piercing, cutting, cold, sharp More Synonyms of biting
2. adjective [usually ADJECTIVE noun]
Biting criticism or wit is very harsh or unkind, and is often caused by such feelings as anger or dislike.
...a furore caused by the author's biting satire on the Church.
This was the most biting criticism made against her.
Synonyms: sarcastic, cutting, sharp, severe More Synonyms of biting
biting in British English
(ˈbaɪtɪŋ)
adjective
1.
piercing; keen
a biting wind
2.
sarcastic; incisive
a biting comment
Derived forms
bitingly (ˈbitingly)
adverb
biting in American English
(ˈbaɪtɪŋ)
adjective
1.
cutting; sharp
2.
sarcastic; caustic
SIMILAR WORDS: inˈcisive
Derived forms
bitingly (ˈbitingly)
adverb
Examples of 'biting' in a sentence
biting
Questions biting at her like rats, ending up with the sharpest bite of all.
Butler, Gwendoline COFFIN IN FASHION (1977)
The motorbike sped around the corner and came to a stop, its tyres biting hard at the gravel.
O'Connor, Joe DESPERADOES (1977)
She looked at him sharply, a frown biting its way across her forehead.
Dobbs, Michael WALL GAMES (1977)
She was biting into a club sandwich, then wiped some mayonnaise from the corner of her mouth.
Elmore Leonard UNKNOWN MAN #89 (1977)
In other languages
biting
British English: biting ADJECTIVE
Biting wind or cold is extremely cold.
...a raw, biting northerly wind.
American English: biting
Brazilian Portuguese: cortante
Chinese: 严寒刺骨的
European Spanish: cortante
French: cinglant
German: schneidend
Italian: pungente
Japanese: 刺すような
Korean: 살을 에는 듯이 추운
European Portuguese: cortante
Latin American Spanish: cortante
All related terms of 'biting'
bite
If you bite something, you use your teeth to cut into it, for example in order to eat it or break it. If an animal or person bites you, they use their teeth to hurt or injure you.
crib-biting
a harmful habit of horses in which the animal leans on the manger or seizes it with the teeth and swallows a gulp of air
nail-biting
If you describe something such as a story or a sports match as nail-biting , you mean that it makes you feel very excited or nervous because you do not know how it is going to end.
biting louse
any wingless insect of the order Mallophaga, such as the chicken louse : external parasites of birds and mammals with biting mouthparts
biting midge
any small fragile dipterous fly of the family Ceratopogonidae , most of which suck the blood of mammals , birds, or other insects
biting point
(in driving) the point at which the plates of the clutch connect as the clutch pedal is released
birchbark biting
a Native Canadian craft in which designs are bitten onto bark from birch trees
nail-biting climax
The climax of something is the most exciting or important moment in it, usually near the end.
bite back
If you bite back a feeling or something that you were going to say , you stop yourself from expressing it.
stable fly
a blood-sucking muscid fly, Stomoxys calcitrans , that attacks humans and domestic animals
punkie
→ biting midge
1 (adjective)
Definition
piercing
a raw, biting northerly wind
Synonyms
piercing
a piercing wind
cutting
a cutting wind
cold
It was bitterly cold outside.
sharp
The wind was not as sharp and cruel as it had been.
freezing
a freezing January afternoon
frozen
the frozen bleakness of the Far North
bitter
a night in the bitter cold
raw
a raw December morning
chill
A chill wind was blowing.
harsh
The weather grew harsh and unpredictable.
penetrating
A raw, penetrating wind was blowing in off the plain.
arctic (informal)
The bathroom is positively arctic.
nipping
icy
An icy wind blew across the moor.
blighting
chilly
It was a chilly afternoon.
wintry
The wintry weather continues to sweep across the country.
gelid
cold as ice
2 (adjective)
Definition
sarcastic
This was the most biting criticism made against her.
Synonyms
sarcastic
She poked fun at people's shortcomings with sarcastic remarks.
cutting
People make cutting remarks to help themselves feel superior to others.
sharp
‘Don't criticize your mother,’ was his sharp reprimand.
severe
The team has suffered severe criticism from influential figures.
stinging
withering
scathing
He then launched a scathing attack on previous leaders.
acrimonious
The acrimonious debate on the agenda ended indecisively.
incisive
a shrewd operator with an incisive mind
virulent
caustic
He was well known for his abrasive wit and caustic comments.
vitriolic
There was a vicious and vitriolic attack on him in the tabloids.
trenchant
He was shattered by the trenchant criticism.
mordant
He describes the situation with mordant wit.
mordacious
Additional synonyms
in the sense of acrimonious
The acrimonious debate on the agenda ended indecisively.