mordant
Americanadjective
noun
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a substance used in dyeing to fix the coloring matter, especially a metallic compound, as an oxide or hydroxide, that combines with the organic dye and forms an insoluble colored compound or lake in the fiber.
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an adhesive substance for binding gold or silver leaf to a surface.
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an acid or other corrosive substance used in etching to eat out the lines, areas, etc.
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Music. mordent.
verb (used with object)
adjective
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sarcastic or caustic
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having the properties of a mordant
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pungent
noun
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a substance used before the application of a dye, possessing the ability to fix colours in textiles, leather, etc See also lake 2
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an acid or other corrosive fluid used to etch lines on a printing plate
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has mordantedperfect 3rd person singular
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have mordantedperfect
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is mordantingprogressive 3rd person singular
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are mordantingprogressive
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am mordantingprogressive 1st person singular
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has been mordantingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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mordantssingular 3rd person
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mordantingparticiple
-
have been mordantingperfect progressive
Past
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had mordantedperfect
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were mordantingprogressive plural
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mordantedparticiple
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mordantedsimple
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had been mordantingperfect progressive
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was mordantingprogressive singular
Future
Etymology
Origin of mordant
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Middle French, present participle of mordre “to bite,” ultimately derived from Latin mordēre; see -ant
Explanation
If you like Edgar Allan Poe and "The Addams Family," you have a taste for mordant entertainment — that is, anything particularly grim or dark in nature. The original meaning of mordant (which comes from the Latin word modere, meaning "to bite or sting,") was that of a physical substance that literally bit into something, such as the one used to set dye into fabrics, or etch lines into a copper plate. Now, mordant generally refers to a dark or biting artistic style, sense of humor, or psychological outlook.
Vocabulary lists containing mordant
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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The New SAT: Words to Capture Tone
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The SAT: Words to Capture Tone, List 8
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
That mordant humor, however enjoyable, tiptoes around the unanswerable question of how, or even whether, we can tell the difference between cosplay and the real thing.
From Salon • Jun. 7, 2026
Ms. Arnott’s sharply observed novel delivers a well-balanced blend of suspense, mordant wit and social commentary.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 2026
Via a wild final act, the nihilistic streak seen in many of Mr. Lanthimos’s previous movies emerges again, this time in an especially mordant way.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 23, 2025
Instead, war broke out across Europe, and Asquith made his mordant headache joke on the way to the historical dumpster.
From Salon • Oct. 19, 2024
It failed to reach Sagane until after the war and was returned years later to Alvarez, who put his signature to it and delivered it again to Sagane as a mordant keepsake.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
