Standard Lemma guide

biting

adj · noun · verb · 8 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈbaɪtɪŋ/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -aɪtɪŋ
  • CMU ARPABET: B AY1 T IH0 NG Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Causing a stinging sensation.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • a biting wind

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: keen

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Cutting or incisive.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • a biting criticism

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

Tending to bite.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • a biting insect

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

An instance of something being bitten.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

A bite-sized snack.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Kenya

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

verb

Meaning 6

present participle and gerund of bite

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: form-of, gerund, participle, present

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

adjective satellite

Meaning 7

causing a sharply painful or stinging sensation; used especially of cold

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • bitter cold
  • a biting wind

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: bitter

Antonyms: none provided

8

adjective satellite

Meaning 8

capable of wounding

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a barbed compliment
  • a biting aphorism
  • pungent satire

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: barbed, nipping, pungent, mordacious

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

45 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: قَارِس (qāris) — causing a stinging sensation
  • Bulgarian: лют (ljut) — causing a stinging sensation
  • Bulgarian: щипещ (štipešt) — causing a stinging sensation
  • Bulgarian: остър (ostǎr) — causing a stinging sensation
  • Catalan: punyent — causing a stinging sensation
  • Finnish: pureva — causing a stinging sensation
  • French: mordant — causing a stinging sensation
  • German: beißend — causing a stinging sensation
  • Latin: mordax — causing a stinging sensation
  • Māori: kōtaratara — causing a stinging sensation
  • Norwegian Bokmål: bitende — causing a stinging sensation
  • Romanian: pișcător — causing a stinging sensation
  • Romanian: tăios — causing a stinging sensation
  • Swedish: bitande — causing a stinging sensation
  • Arabic: لَاذِع (lāḏiʕ) — cutting or incisive
  • Arabic: جَارِح (jāriḥ) — cutting or incisive
  • Bulgarian: остър (ostǎr) — cutting or incisive
  • Catalan: mordaç — cutting or incisive
  • Esperanto: acerba — cutting or incisive
  • Finnish: pureva — cutting or incisive
  • French: mordant — cutting or incisive
  • German: bissig — cutting or incisive
  • German: beißend — cutting or incisive
  • Latin: mordax — cutting or incisive
  • Norwegian Bokmål: bitende — cutting or incisive
  • Scottish Gaelic: sgaiteach — cutting or incisive
  • Swedish: bitande — cutting or incisive
  • Arabic: عَقُور (ʕaqūr) — tending to bite
  • Arabic: لَاسِع (lāsiʕ) — tending to bite
  • Bulgarian: хаплив (hapliv) — tending to bite
  • Finnish: pureva — tending to bite
  • French: mordant — tending to bite
  • French: mordeur — tending to bite
  • German: bissig — tending to bite
  • German: beißend — tending to bite
  • German: stechend — tending to bite
  • Norwegian Bokmål: bitende — tending to bite
  • Swedish: bitande — tending to bite
  • Swedish: bitsk — tending to bite
  • Bulgarian: хапане (hapane) — instance of biting
  • Bulgarian: ухапване (uhapvane) — instance of biting
  • Finnish: pureminen — instance of biting
  • Arabic: عَضَّة (ʕaḍḍa) — An occurrence of a bite
  • Bulgarian: ухапване (uhapvane) — An occurrence of a bite
  • Finnish: pureminen — An occurrence of a bite