witticism en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ˈwɪ.tɪ.sɪz.əm/ (UK, US)
- (Southern-England) audio
Etymology
From witty + -icism; coined in the 1670s by John Dryden, by analogy to criticism.
Meanings
-
a witty remark; a bon mot; an epigram; a zinger.
"Take any shape but that!" is what I always feel tempted to exclaim when dulness attempts a joke; striving to pervert some poor innocent and ill-used word from its lawful meaning till it ceases to have any at all—worrying some unfortunate idea till, like the hunted hare, it is worried to death—dealing in witticisms whose edge has long since been worn off by constant use; and truly to the many, witticisms not only require to be explained, like riddles, but are also like new shoes, which people require to wear many times before they get accustomed to them.
1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter XVIII, in Francesca Carrara. […], volume III, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, page 151:While the occasional wry witticism seeps through, overall Shipler is painfully conscientious about trying to offer both sides of any debate.
2015, Hans Rollman, “Freedom of Speech: It’s Complicated”, in PopMatters:Shock of the witticism is a powerful one; while mere fun will have no power over them if it jar on their moral taste.
1883, George Eliot, chapter 4, in The Essays of George Eliot:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| witticisms | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
twitticism · Weinreich witticism
Relateds
jape · one-liner · bon mot · gag · joke
Synonyms
repartee. See also Thesaurus:joke
Translations (44)
nl kwinkslag (witty remark) · cmn 妙語 /妙语 (witty remark) · it battuta (witty remark) · tr nükte (witty remark) · es volada (witty remark) · la dictērium (witty remark) · it freddura (witty remark) · cmn 俏皮話 /俏皮话 (witty remark) · it arguzia (witty remark) · es humorada (witty remark) · de witzige Bemerkung (witty remark) · it spiritosità (witty remark) · es lindeza (witty remark) · de (guter) Spruch (witty remark) · es ocurrencia (witty remark) · eo ŝerco (witty remark) · th คำคม (witty remark) · cmn 諧語 /谐语 (witty remark) · cy ffraetheb (witty remark) · ota لطیفه (witty remark) · it spiritosaggine (witty remark) · es remoquete (witty remark) · fr mot d'esprit (witty remark) · ca acudit (witty remark) · la dictum (witty remark) · pdt Witsichkjeit (witty remark) · es gracieta (witty remark) · es remoque (witty remark) · fi sukkeluus (witty remark) · es donosura (witty remark) · ru остро́та (witty remark) · es viveza (witty remark) · fr trait d'esprit (witty remark) · pl dowcip (witty remark) · es vivez (desus.) (witty remark) · de geistreiche Bemerkung (witty remark) · cmn 雋語 /隽语 (witty remark) · de Bonmot (witty remark) · sv kvickhet (witty remark) · it frizzo (witty remark) · es donaire (witty remark) · es argucia (witty remark) · de geflügeltes Wort (witty remark) · es graciosidad (witty remark)