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acerbic
WORDNET DICTIONARY
Adjective acerbic has 2 senses
- acerbic(s = adj.all) acerb, astringent - sour or bitter in taste; Array Derived form noun acerbity2
- acerbic(s = adj.all) acerb, acid, acrid, bitter, blistering, caustic, sulfurous, sulphurous, virulent, vitriolic - harsh or corrosive in tone; "an acerbic tone piercing otherwise flowery prose"; "a barrage of acid comments"; "her acrid remarks make her many enemies"; "bitter words"; "blistering criticism"; "caustic jokes about political assassination, talk-show hosts and medical ethics"; "a sulfurous denunciation"; "a vitriolic critique" Derived form noun acerbity3
OXFORD DICTIONARY
acerbic, adj.
1 astringently sour; harsh-tasting.
2 bitter in speech, manner, or temper.
1 astringently sour; harsh-tasting.
2 bitter in speech, manner, or temper.
Derivative
acerbically adv. acerbity n. (pl. -ies).
Etymology
L acerbus sour-tasting
THESAURUS
acerbic
acerb, acerbate, acescent, acetose, acid, acidic, acidulent, acidulous, acrid, acrimonious, amaroidal, asperous, astringent, biting, bitter, bitter as gall, burning, caustic, choleric, coarse, corroding, corrosive, crab, crabbed, cutting, dry, embittered, escharotic, green, hard, harsh, incisive, irritating, keen, mordacious, mordant, nose-tickling, penetrating, pickled, piercing, piquant, poignant, pungent, rancorous, rankled, resentful, resenting, rough, scathing, scorching, sec, severe, sharp, sore, sour, sour as vinegar, soured, sourish, splenetic, stabbing, stewing, stinging, tart, tartish, trenchant, unripe, unsweet, unsweetened, vinegarish, vinegary, virulent, vitriolic, witheringROGET THESAURUS
acerbic
Asceticism
N asceticism, puritanism, sabbatarianism, cynicism, austerity, total abstinence, nephalism, mortification, maceration, sackcloth and ashes, flagellation, penance, fasting, martyrdom, ascetic, anchoret, anchorite, martyr, Heautontimorumenos, hermit, puritan, sabbatarian, cynic, sanyasi, yogi, ascetic, austere, puritanical, cynical, over-religious, acerbic.Bitterness
N bitterness, acridness, acridity, acrimony, caustic, alkali, acerbity, gall, wormwood, bitters, astringent bitters, Angostura, aromatic bitters, sourness, pungency, alkaloids, turmeric, bitter, bitterish, acrid, acerb, acerbic, bitter as gall, bitter pill to take, sugar coating on a bitter pill.
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