corrosive
Americanadjective
-
having the quality of corroding or eating away; erosive.
-
harmful or destructive; deleterious.
the corrosive effect of poverty on their marriage.
-
sharply sarcastic; caustic.
corrosive comments on the speaker's integrity.
noun
adjective
-
(esp of acids or alkalis) capable of destroying solid materials
-
tending to eat away or consume
-
cutting; sarcastic
a corrosive remark
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of corrosive
1350–1400; late Middle English (< Middle French ) < Medieval Latin corrōsīvus, equivalent to Latin corrōs ( us ) ( see corrosion) + -īvus -ive; replacing Middle English corosif < Middle French < Latin as above
Explanation
A corrosive substance, like hydrochloric acid, will eat away most things on which it is spilled. Watch out in chemistry lab: you wouldn't want to destroy your homework, desk, or worse, your own skin by spilling something corrosive on it. The word corrosive comes from the Latin word, corrodere, meaning "to gnaw away." Rodere (to gnaw) is the same root word for rodent, so you can remember the word corrosive because something that is corrosive gnaws through things like a rodent. The adjective corrosive is also used to describe something that is bitingly or spitefully sarcastic. If you're known for your corrosive wit, you probably don't win any popularity contests.
Vocabulary lists containing corrosive
Hatchet
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President Obama's Farewell Address
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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.
He said the Met had considered the reputational risks of using the "divisive" technology, but added that it helped identify "unacceptable, dishonest, corrosive behaviours" among officers.
From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026
Gold is traditionally recovered either by smelting at very high temperatures or by using corrosive acid mixtures that generate hazardous waste.
From Barron's ● Aug. 4, 2026
Experts say the age of pipes, the corrosive soil they’re buried in and pressure changes in pipes that send water to hillside neighborhoods all contribute to breaks across the aging system.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
It shows up in civic life most glaringly as a corrosive sense of cynicism about patriotism, which in Europe is treated with a wink and a nod.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026
On December 16, 1989, thousands of people took to the streets of Timisoara to protest his corrosive regime.
From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
