witticism
Say it: WIT-ih-siz-um /ˈwɪtɪsɪz(ə)m/ · noun
What “witticism” means
A clever, funny remark.
More precisely: A witty remark.
Example: “Oscar Wilde's witticisms still turn up in wedding speeches more than a century later.”
When to use it
Use it for a neatly phrased, clever remark that makes people smile. It sounds more literary than 'joke'.
Memory trick
The wit in witticism means clever humour: think of one neatly phrased funny remark.
Similar words
quip, bon mot, epigram
Where it comes from
Coined by John Dryden from witty, on the pattern of criticism.
Quick check
Seeing an empty biscuit tin, your friend calls it 'a monument to our self-control'. What is this clever remark?
a complaint or a witticism?
Show the answer
a witticism
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