acerbate
[ verb as-er-beyt; adjective uh-sur-bit ]
verb (used with object),ac·er·bat·ed, ac·er·bat·ing.
to make sour or bitter.
to exasperate.
adjective
Origin of acerbate
1Words Nearby acerbate
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use acerbate in a sentence
Lady Laura had triumphed; but she had no desire to acerbate her husband by any unpalatable allusion to her victory.
Phineas Finn | Anthony TrollopeThe poor girl had not spirit sufficient to upbraid her friend; nor did it suit her now to acerbate an enemy.
The Way We Live Now | Anthony Trollope
British Dictionary definitions for acerbate
acerbate
/ (ˈæsəˌbeɪt) /
verb(tr)
to embitter or exasperate
to make sour or bitter
Origin of acerbate
1C18: from Latin acerbātus, past participle of acerbāre to make sour
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
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