acerbic
sour or astringent in taste: Lemon juice is acerbic.
harsh or severe, as of temper or expression: acerbic criticism.
Origin of acerbic
1Other words from acerbic
- a·cer·bi·cal·ly, adverb
- un·a·cer·bic, adjective
- un·a·cer·bi·cal·ly, adverb
Words that may be confused with acerbic
Words Nearby acerbic
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use acerbic in a sentence
He did not suffer criticism silently and was often acerbic in his responses.
Louis Pasteur’s devotion to truth transformed what we know about health and disease | Tom Siegfried | November 18, 2022 | Science NewsThe acerbic Philadelphia journalist William Cobbett termed Rush’s bleeding “one of those great discoveries which are made from time to time for the depopulation of the Earth.”
Beyond the Founding Fathers: 12 Unsung Figures Who Helped Build America | Olivia B. Waxman | July 1, 2022 | TimeOn his HBO show Real Time with Bill Maher last Friday, the acerbic host had some harsh words for our butt-crazy culture.
Kim Kardashian Bares Her Shiny, Bounteous Butt, Breaks the Internet | Marlow Stern | November 12, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThink of a slightly less acerbic, more feminine Tom Wolfe, her literary idol and inspiration.
Novelist Holly Peterson Talks About New York, Power Trippers, and Love | Hannah Seligson | April 16, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIf Brady were as uptight and acerbic as Belichick often seems, the Patriot train would have long ago run off the rails.
Peyton Manning and Tom Brady Don’t Control Their Own Legacies | Evin Demirel | January 18, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
But Tom Boswell makes it all look easy, gliding between the seasons with appreciation and acerbic wit.
A hazy choral interlude follows, followed by more nasty beats and acerbic lyrics.
Praise ‘Yeezus’: Kanye West’s New Album Is an Eclectic Tour de Force | Marlow Stern | June 15, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
British Dictionary definitions for acerbic
/ (əˈsɜːbɪk) /
harsh, bitter, or astringent; sour
Origin of acerbic
1Collins 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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