acerbic
Americanadjective
-
sour or astringent in taste.
Lemon juice is acerbic.
-
harsh or severe, as of temper or expression.
acerbic criticism.
adjective
Other Word Forms
- acerbically adverb
- unacerbic adjective
- unacerbically adverb
Etymology
Origin of acerbic
1860–65; < Latin acerb ( us ) sour, unripe, bitterly harsh + -ic, irregular for -ous
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.
Australia's acerbic media did not hold back in their criticism, citing selection "stuff-ups" and "shambolic" preparations, including a 3-0 pre-tournament series loss in Pakistan, for the embarrassment.
From Barron's • Feb. 20, 2026
I remember after “The Devil Wears Prada,” I got offered every acerbic British bitch.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 16, 2025
As a younger man, Munger could be cranky and acerbic; now, he was warm and reflective.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 27, 2025
Craig Revel Horwood, acerbic as ever, called it "flat footed", and Clarke and his partner Alexis Warr crashed out with the lowest score this evening - at 27.
From BBC • Oct. 31, 2025
Warren Buffett had an acerbic partner, Charlie Munger, who evidently cared a lot less than Buffett did about whether people liked him.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
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.
