TONGUE-IN-CHEEK Synonyms: 89 Similar and Opposite Words

tongue-in-cheek

adjective

Definition of tongue-in-cheek

as in flippant

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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 Tailored trousers kept the outfit polished, while paisley socks beneath leather wedge pumps gave it a tongue-in-cheek finish. — Minty Mellon, Vogue, 22 Sep. 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 The clothes, which always carried an element of tongue-in-cheek, paraded this sense of an triumphal ascent as surely as the Europeans had done with their get-ups in the late seventeenth century. — Lucy Sante, Vanity Fair, 21 Sep. 2026 The campaign also has a tongue-in-cheek reference to the 2019 college admissions scandal. — Daisy Maldonado, InStyle, 16 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for tongue-in-cheek

Recent Examples of Synonyms for tongue-in-cheek

Adjective

But there is a saying in the military that leadership sets the tone, and when the most senior leaders are flippant at best, and cruel at worst, many will understand that to be the permissible standard.

— Andrea N. Goldstein, The Atlantic, 28 Aug. 2026
Kyles suggested, recalling her immediate response to the president’s seemingly flippant remark.

— Chris Quintana, USA Today, 22 Aug. 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

But in an ironic twist, part of the parking lot was underwater, a tractor had raised a berm to hold back the ocean, and just to the south, homes were being thrashed by waves.

— Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026
But if the ironic remove of his comic voice was part of what allowed Macdonald to speak so many uncomfortable truths, Apatow creating a remove of his own is justifiable.

— Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 16 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

This time, Michael sounds less idealistic and much more cynical.

— Noel Murray, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2026
Goor and Del Tredici are gearing up to debut their next NBC sitcom, a single-camera workplace comedy starring Jake Johnson as a cynical detective working at a past-its-prime private investigator agency in Hollywood.

— Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of cynical

Adjective

Although the region got some rain Sunday and Monday, most of it fell in areas south of Los Angeles County, leaving Los Angeles and Ventura counties very dry.

— Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026
Combine turkey stock or chicken broth and dry red wine in a large glass measuring cup.

— Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of dry

Browse Nearby Words

tongue

tongue-in-cheek

tongue-lash

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“Tongue-in-cheek.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tongue-in-cheek. Accessed 22 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of tongue-in-cheek

adjective

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