tongue-in-cheek

adjective

Definition of tongue-in-cheeknext
as in flippant

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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 tongue-in-cheek In a tongue-in-cheek short film, Turner and his pooch are shown squaring off over a game of chess. — Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 14 Oct. 2026 But did anyone notice the company’s tongue-in-cheek naming strategy? — Jason Barlow, Robb Report, 11 Oct. 2026 That record runs the gamut from straight-ahead, anthemic ragers to more tongue-in-cheek ruminations on life’s bumps and skips. — Brenna Ehrlich, Rolling Stone, 6 Oct. 2026 But over the years, Bird of the Year has also become known for its fiercely competitive campaigns, tongue-in-cheek rivalries and occasional controversy. — Adam Pourahmadi, CNN Money, 21 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for tongue-in-cheek
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tongue-in-cheek
  1. flippant
  2. facetious
  3. ironic
  4. wry
  5. cynical
  6. dry
  7. poignant
Adjective
  • The sometimes-flippant enthusiasm with which people devour people’s real stories of loss can sting, Janus said.
    — Lauren Mascarenhas, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Even Bess’s twins, once so tiny and bald in their preemie bassinets, now seemed to be growing, flippant as weeds.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of flippant
Adjective
  • The excess of emotion often scans as winkingly facetious, a dramatization to demonstrate just how deeply a person loves books.
    — Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 8 July 2026
  • The first thing he was asked, by another reporter who witnessed the debate, was a facetious question of whether he’s given MVP any thought.
    — Jared Weiss, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2026
Definition of facetious
Adjective
  • Ethan then sued Denims for copyright infringement, which was ironic, as Ethan’s reaction videos set much of the precedent for what constitutes fair use on commentary YouTube.
    — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 24 Oct. 2026
  • In 2007, a spooky — and ironic — recipe for peanut butter eyeballs was adapted and shared by Gale Gand, who got it from the American Association of Orthodontists.
    — Candy Hom, AJC.com, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of ironic
Adjective
  • Nearly fifty years later, Impromptu (1991) retold the story as wry, knowing rom-com, this time with Judy Davis as the capering novelist and Hugh Grant as the winsome composer.
    — Kathryn Hughes, The New York Review of Books, 17 Oct. 2026
  • And Marissa Mayer, the former Yahoo CEO who just launched Dazzle AI, has a wry take on some of the men now spouting doomsday rhetoric in Silicon Valley.
    — Diane Brady, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of wry
Adjective
  • Such flat, enervating filmmaking makes the whole endeavor a shockingly cynical affair.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
  • In her role for Klara and the Sun, Ortega is cheerful and expressive where Wednesday Addams is deadpan and cynical.
    — Alice Robb, Vogue, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of cynical
Adjective
  • And dry forests and parched soils significantly increase the likelihood and severity of wildfires.
    — Ava Berger, NPR, 29 Oct. 2026
  • And El Nino is supposed to keep west Africa hot and dry through the winter.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of dry
Adjective
  • The synth melody is poignant through the buds, but the upper vocal harmony and some of the upper-register atmospheric instruments are slightly buried.
    — Mark Knapp, PC Magazine, 24 Oct. 2026
  • The message became especially poignant that weekend when four service members died in a fire at a military base in Alberta.
    — Chantelle Lee, Time, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of poignant

Browse Nearby Words

tongue
tongue-in-cheek
tongue-lash
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Cite this Entry

“Tongue-in-cheek.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tongue-in-cheek. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

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