WITTICISM

Pronunciation (US):

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does witticism mean? 

• WITTICISM (noun)
  The noun WITTICISM has 1 sense:

1. a message whose ingenuity or verbal skill or incongruity has the power to evoke laughter

  Familiarity information: WITTICISM used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• WITTICISM (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A message whose ingenuity or verbal skill or incongruity has the power to evoke laughter

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

humor; humour; wit; witticism; wittiness

Hypernyms ("witticism" is a kind of...):

content; message; subject matter; substance (what a communication that is about something is about)

Domain member category:

couth ((used facetiously) refinement)

couth ((used facetiously) refined and well-mannered)

Domain member usage:

libation ((facetious) a serving of an alcoholic beverage)

roaster (a harsh or humorous critic (sometimes intended as a facetious compliment))

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "witticism"):

jeu d'esprit (a witty comment or writing)

bon mot; mot (a clever remark)

esprit de l'escalier (a witty remark that occurs to you too late)

bite; pungency (wit having a sharp and caustic quality)

caustic remark; irony; sarcasm; satire (witty language used to convey insults or scorn)

repartee (adroitness and cleverness in reply)

gag; jape; jest; joke; laugh (a humorous anecdote or remark intended to provoke laughter)

caricature; imitation; impersonation (a representation of a person that is exaggerated for comic effect)

cartoon; sketch (a humorous or satirical drawing published in a newspaper or magazine)

fun; play; sport (verbal wit or mockery (often at another's expense but not to be taken seriously))

ribaldry (ribald humor)

topper (an exceedingly good witticism that surpasses all that have gone before)

 Context examples 

Mrs. Bennet and her daughters then departed, and Elizabeth returned instantly to Jane, leaving her own and her relations' behaviour to the remarks of the two ladies and Mr. Darcy; the latter of whom, however, could not be prevailed on to join in their censure of her, in spite of all Miss Bingley's witticisms on fine eyes.

(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)

It was several days before Willoughby's name was mentioned before Marianne by any of her family; Sir John and Mrs. Jennings, indeed, were not so nice; their witticisms added pain to many a painful hour;—but one evening, Mrs. Dashwood, accidentally taking up a volume of Shakespeare, exclaimed, We have never finished Hamlet, Marianne; our dear Willoughby went away before we could get through it.

(Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen)

He ran in little zigzags from one knot of people to another, whilst his peculiar appearance drew a running fire of witticisms as he went, so that he reminded me irresistibly of a snipe skimming along through a line of guns.

(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Brutality I had experienced, but it was the brutality of the intellect—the cutting sarcasm of Charley Furuseth, the cruel epigrams and occasional harsh witticisms of the fellows at the Bibelot, and the nasty remarks of some of the professors during my undergraduate days.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)