adjective
1. sour or bitter in taste
• Syn: ↑acerbic, ↑astringent
• Similar to: ↑sour
• Derivationally related forms: ↑astringency (for: ↑astringent), ↑astringence (for: ↑astringent), ↑acerbity (for: ↑acerbic)
2. harsh or corrosive in tone
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an acerbic tone piercing otherwise flowery prose
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a barrage of acid comments
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her acrid remarks make her many enemies
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bitter words
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blistering criticism
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caustic jokes about political assassination, talk-show hosts and medical ethics
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a sulfurous denunciation
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a vitriolic critique
• Syn:
↑acerbic, ↑acid, ↑acrid, ↑bitter, ↑blistering, ↑caustic, ↑sulfurous, ↑sulphurous, ↑virulent, ↑vitriolic
• Similar to: ↑unpleasant
• Derivationally related forms:
Useful english dictionary. 2012.