tongue-in-cheek

ADJECTIVE

ironic and insincere

Synonyms

STRONGEST

amusing comic flippant humorous ironic irreverent jocular joking playful sarcastic satirical whimsical

STRONG

jokingly

WEAK

blithe clever comical dry facetious farcical flip funny in fun in jest ironical jesting joshing kiddingly laughable not serious pulling one's leg putting one on smart wisecracking witty

Antonyms

STRONGEST

respectful reverent serious unfunny

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.

The Scottish Daily Express called theirs “the Murrell Collection,” a tongue-in-cheek homage to the famous Burrell Collection of artworks in Glasgow.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 12, 2026

Elmo followed up with a tongue-in-cheek message on Thursday addressing the vitriol.

From BBC • Jun. 6, 2026

Meanwhile, New York's Mayor Zohran Mamdani has signed a tongue-in-cheek executive order "temporarily repealing bedtimes" to encourage children to watch the late-night games.

From Barron's • Jun. 3, 2026

Old Navy’s is somewhat tasteful and tongue-in-cheek, offering a cable-knit cerulean sweater with a charming red high-heel logo, tote bags and tops with a few of the movie’s key phrases printed on them.

From Salon • Apr. 20, 2026

She put up with the officers asking tongue-in-cheek questions about her procedures.

From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover

tongue-in-cheek

Example Sentences

Related Words