witticism · noun — a witty remark; a bon mot; an epigram; a zinger. It carries an Arena rating of 1688, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, witticism ranks #279 of 42,862 for Qualifying, #3,617 of 17,152 for Best Fossil-Poetry Words, #5,216 of 17,135 for Most Satisfying to Say, #5,639 of 17,136 for Words That Escaped Their Books.
witticism is pronounced /ˈwɪ.tɪ.sɪz.əm/.
Why “witticism” is a great word
A cleverly witty and often biting or ironic remark, coined in the 1670s by John Dryden from witty (possessing or showing wit) and the suffix -icism (as in criticism). Unlike an epigram, a formal and polished statement often in verse, or a joke, which may rely on narrative or simple puns, a witticism is a spontaneous flash of intellectual steel parried in conversation. It is the sudden, elegant puncture of pretension at a dinner party, the perfectly timed retort that hangs in the air like the scent of ozone after lightning, the verbal scalpel that dissects a folly before its owner has felt the cut—a small, bright rebellion proving the sharpest mind leaves no visible wound.
❧ Essay by Lexicurio’s AI · definition, etymology & citations from published sources
Etymology
From witty + -icism; coined in the 1670s by John Dryden, by analogy to criticism.
noun
- a witty remark; a bon mot; an epigram; a zinger.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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