ˈmȯ(r)d ə nsē, -si noun
( -es )
Etymology: mordant (I) + -cy
1. : a biting and caustic quality of style : incisiveness
the mordancy of his comments made his opponent wince
2. : a sharply critical or bitter quality of thought or feeling : harshness
marked by a deepening note of grimness and mordancy — J.E.M.White
forceful criticisms of the maladjustments of life, bitterness, mordancy , and despair — Leslie Rees