acidulous

American  

[uh-sij-uh-luhs] / əˈsɪdʒ ə ləs /

adjective

1. slightly sour.

2. sharp; caustic.

   his acidulous criticism of the book.

3. moderately acid or tart; subacid.

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acidulous British  

/ əˈsɪdjʊləs /

adjective

1. rather sour

2. sharp or sour in speech, manner, etc; acid

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Other Word Forms

• subacidulous adjective

Etymology

Origin of acidulous

From the Latin word acidulus, dating back to 1760–70. See acid, -ulous

Explanation

If you make lemonade and forget the sugar, the drink would have an acidulous or sour taste. If someone makes a snarky comment about your culinary skills, you might call their comments acidulous or bitter. In either usage, the word acidulous leaves a sour taste in your mouth, or a pursed expression on your face. You see the word acid in the word, which, in fact, can also be used in both senses. Someone's acid remarks will be just as hurtful as their acidulous ones. Lemons are an acidic fruit, as are most citrus fruits, but lemons are more acidulous than oranges.

Example Sentences

Sharp observations like these show us glimpses of the acidulous social satirist of Hollywood’s Golden Age.

From Washington Post • Apr. 27, 2021

What pricked up my ears wasn’t so much Hollis’ truculent sentiments as his acidulous language, which Macy delivered like a blue-collar maestro.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 24, 2020

Susan Strasberg plays an acidulous critic à la Pauline Kael: “What he creates, he has to wreck, it’s a compulsion.”

From The New Yorker • Sep. 26, 2018

German tenor Burkhard Ulrich made a properly acidulous Mime.

From Reuters • Jul. 29, 2013

Tamarind, tam′a-rind, n. a beautiful spreading East Indian tree, its pods filled with a pleasant, acidulous, sweet, reddish-black pulp, in which the seeds are embedded.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements) by Various