corrosive
Americanadjective
-
having the quality of corroding or eating away; erosive.
-
harmful or destructive; deleterious.
the corrosive effect of poverty on their marriage.
-
sharply sarcastic; caustic.
corrosive comments on the speaker's integrity.
noun
adjective
-
(esp of acids or alkalis) capable of destroying solid materials
-
tending to eat away or consume
-
cutting; sarcastic
a corrosive remark
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of corrosive
1350–1400; late Middle English (< Middle French ) < Medieval Latin corrōsīvus, equivalent to Latin corrōs ( us ) ( see corrosion) + -īvus -ive; replacing Middle English corosif < Middle French < Latin as above
Explanation
A corrosive substance, like hydrochloric acid, will eat away most things on which it is spilled. Watch out in chemistry lab: you wouldn't want to destroy your homework, desk, or worse, your own skin by spilling something corrosive on it. The word corrosive comes from the Latin word, corrodere, meaning "to gnaw away." Rodere (to gnaw) is the same root word for rodent, so you can remember the word corrosive because something that is corrosive gnaws through things like a rodent. The adjective corrosive is also used to describe something that is bitingly or spitefully sarcastic. If you're known for your corrosive wit, you probably don't win any popularity contests.
Vocabulary lists containing corrosive
Hatchet
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President Obama's Farewell Address
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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.
Corrosive river water caused lead to leach from the pipes, exposing thousands of children to lead poisoning and leading to an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease.
From Reuters • Jun. 28, 2022
Corrosive and unpurified industrial waste from the phosphate industry is what is added to municipal water across America.
From New York Times • Aug. 29, 2016
Corrosive influence whose retirement from international football after the World Cup was like a yoke cut from a team that should be doing much better?
From The Guardian • Oct. 9, 2014
Corrosive salt water has been replaced with fresh water that is passed through a filtration system to remove radioactive caesium before being recycled back into the cores.
From Nature • Mar. 7, 2012
Corrosive sublimate is probably the most powerful disinfectant known.
From A Practical Physiology by Blaisdell, Albert F.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
