Tongue-in-cheek
Definition, Meaning & Examples
Part of speech adjective
Quick meaning: Tongue-in-cheek is an adjective meaning (idiomatic) Not intended seriously; jocular or humorous.
Meaning
(idiomatic) Not intended seriously; jocular or humorous.
More Meanings
- With irony.
- (obsolete) With contempt.
Example Sentences
He portrayed them tongue-in-cheek as great lawgivers, as Solons.
The tongue-in-cheek sendup wasn’t far from Silicon Valley’s reality.
He gave a tongue-in-cheek explanation of why the sky was blue, offering a theory about some primordial discount on light blue paint.
It was in this era, too, that author and Scotland the Brave songwriter Cliff Hanley penned The Glasgow Underground, a tongue-in-cheek love letter to the Subway in song.
Synonyms for tongue-in-cheek
Depending on context, synonyms include witty, amusing, bright, diverting, droll, entertaining.
Related Words
Related dictionary entries include facetious, facetiously, jokingly, humourous, bantering, banteringly.
Related Dictionary Tools
Sources & Attribution
FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0
Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.