sharp tongue
The practice or characteristic of speaking to others in a harsh, critical, or insulting manner.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“Be careful, she has a sharp tongue.”
“He often regrets his sharp tongue after he says something mean to his friends.”
“Despite her intelligence, her sharp tongue frequently alienated colleagues and made collaborative work difficult to maintain.”
- 01
bite one's tongue
To resist the urge to speak out, especially in order to avoid saying something inappropriate or likely to cause a dispute.
- 02
cat got someone's tongue
Why is someone not saying anything?
- 03
civil tongue
A polite manner of speaking.
- 04
find one's tongue
To speak after being unable to do so or after remaining silent; to find something to say.
- 05
forked tongue
The characteristic of deceptiveness; duplicity; untruthfulness.
- 06
hold one's tongue
To refrain from talking about something.
- 07
keep a civil tongue in one's head
To maintain a polite manner of speaking.
- 08
lay one's tongue to
To say; to name; to think of to say.
Last updated August 10, 2026