mordant
adjective /ˈmɔːdnt/
/ˈmɔːrdnt/
(formal)- critical and unkind, but funny synonym caustic
- His mordant wit appealed to students.
Oxford Collocations DictionaryMordant is used with these nouns:- wit
Word Originlate 15th cent.: from French, present participle of mordre ‘to bite’, from Latin mordere.