acerb
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
- 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
• Syn:
acerbic, acid, acrid, bitter, blistering,
caustic, sulfurous, sulphurous, virulent, vitriolic
• Similar to:
unpleasant
• Derivationally related forms:
vitriol (for: vitriolic), virulency (for: virulent), virulence (for: virulent), bitterness (for: bitter), acridness (for: acrid), acridity (for: acrid), acerbity (for: acerbic)
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