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acerb
[ uh-surb ]
/ əˈsɜrb /
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This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
adjective
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Origin of acerb
1650–60; <Latin acerbus;see acerbic
Words nearby acerb
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use acerb in a sentence
The fruit remains acerb and hard; the tree declines to be "ameliorated" for the good of mankind.
Prairie Gold|VariousShe denied that stenographers could ever form a union, but she could not answer his acerb, “Why not?”
The Job|Sinclair LewisThereupon followed a soft discussion that was as near being acerb as nails are near velvet paws.
Vittoria, Complete|George Meredith