acrid

[ ak-rid ]
See synonyms for: acridacridityacridness on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. sharp or biting to the taste or smell; bitterly pungent; irritating to the eyes, nose, etc.: acrid smoke from burning rubber.

  2. extremely or sharply stinging or bitter; exceedingly caustic: acrid remarks.

Origin of acrid

1
1705–15; <Latin ācr- (stem of ācer) sharp, sour + -id4, perhaps through influence of acid

Other words from acrid

  • a·crid·i·ty [uh-krid-i-tee], /əˈkrɪd ɪ ti/, ac·rid·ness, noun
  • ac·rid·ly, adverb
  • sub·ac·rid, adjective
  • sub·ac·rid·ly, adverb
  • sub·ac·rid·ness, noun
  • sub·a·crid·i·ty, noun

Words that may be confused with acrid

Words Nearby acrid

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use acrid in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for acrid

acrid

/ (ˈækrɪd) /


adjective
  1. unpleasantly pungent or sharp to the smell or taste

  2. sharp or caustic, esp in speech or nature

Origin of acrid

1
C18: from Latin ācer sharp, sour; probably formed on the model of acid

Derived forms of acrid

  • acridity (əˈkrɪdɪtɪ) or acridness, noun
  • acridly, adverb

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