Dictionary Definition
acerbic adj
2 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" [syn: acerb,
acid, acrid, bitter, blistering, caustic, sulfurous, sulphurous, venomous, virulent, vitriolic]
User Contributed Dictionary
English
Adjective
- Sour or bitter.
- Sarcastic or
cynical
- e.g. acerbic wit; "Well, he's certainly the bright bulb among the 25-watters..."
- Sharp-tempered.
- Quotations:
-
- "...he is one of the most acerbic people in his field, quick to take offense and not shy about telling people with whom he disagrees how much he thinks they have failed in thought and action." — Washington Post, May 5, 2005
Synonyms
- sense sarcastic or cynical scathing
- sense sour or bitter acerb
Translations
sour or bitter
- Finnish: kitkerä
- German: sauer, bitter
sarcastic or cynical
- Finnish: pureva, kyyninen, sarkastinen
- German: ätzend, beißend
sharp-tempered
- Finnish: kärkevä
Anagrams
Synonyms, Antonyms and Related Words
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, withering