retort
noun · verb
Simple meaning
A sharp or witty reply, or one which turns an argument against its originator.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
reetawrtSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈɹitɔɹt
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
A sharp or witty reply, or one which turns an argument against its originator; a comeback.
A pressure cooker.
A crematory furnace.
verb
Answer back
To say something sharp or witty in answer to a remark or accusation.
To make a remark which reverses an argument upon its originator; to return, as an argument, accusation, censure, or incivility.
To throw back; to reverberate; to reflect.
To bend or curve back.
transitive
To heat in a retort.
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A sharp or witty reply, or one which turns an argument against its originator; a comeback.
Used this way, retort is a reasonably familiar word with a clearly warm, approving pull. Keep it for friendly, informal settings.
- Emotional tone
- Positive
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Gentle
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Playful
- Usage feel
- Playful and informal
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.