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acidic

American  
[uh-sid-ik] / əˈsɪd ɪk /

adjective

  1. acid.

  2. Geology. acid.

  3. acid-forming.

  4. containing acid-bearing pollutants.

    Acidic runoff is poisoning the nation's rivers.


acidic British  
/ əˈsɪdɪk /

adjective

  1. another word for acid

  2. (of an oxide) yielding an acid in aqueous solution

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of acidic

First recorded in 1875–80; acid + -ic

Explanation

Something that's acidic has a sour or sharp taste. Lemonade, especially if it's light on the sugar, tastes very acidic. Citrus fruits have a typically acidic flavor, and they qualify as acidic in the scientific definition of the word as well. In chemistry, something that's acidic has a low pH, as opposed to a base, which has a higher pH. Various kinds of acids and vinegar are also acidic. The word comes from acid, which originally meant "of the taste of vinegar," from the Latin word acidus, "sour or sharp."

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Vocabulary lists containing acidic

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

While some are being reworked by zama zamas, many are filled with acidic water that contributes to sinkholes, said mining expert David van Wyk.

From Barron's Sep. 1, 2026

Conversely, Tina Fey and the writing staff of “The Four Seasons” have been using Domingo’s Danny as, among other things, a brutally effective vehicle to deploy acidic one-liners.

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 18, 2026

Pond Farm lays on lowland heathland, a rare habitat found on acidic and nutrient-poor soils.

From BBC Aug. 17, 2026

In a salt water electrolyzer, the new steel delivered performance comparable to titanium structural components currently used to produce hydrogen from desalinated seawater or acidic solutions.

From Science Daily Aug. 11, 2026

Matilde is all white sugar—sweet and forgiving— while I’m pure acidic lemon.

From "The Queen of Water" by Laura Resau

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