caustic
- capable of burning, corroding, or destroying living tissue.
- severely critical or sarcastic: a caustic remark.
- a caustic substance.
- Optics.
Origin of caustic
Synonyms for caustic
See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.comRelated Words for caustically
acerbically, acrimoniously, bitingly, caustically, maliciously, sneeringlyExamples from the Web for caustically
Contemporary Examples of caustically
If he was getting hot around the collar, Ziffer said caustically, it was "partly because I'm one of those hot-headed Levantines."
“Only blue-eyed blondes get any press,” he caustically wrote.
Historical Examples of caustically
"'The way is clear enough wi'oot that," from Tammas caustically.
Bob, Son of BattleAlfred Ollivant
"I told you you hadn't swallowed 'em," remarked Matilda, caustically.
Master of the VineyardMyrtle Reed
"The latter at all costs, I presume," said Barbara, caustically.
The Shadow of the CzarJohn R. Carling
"We are not playing at tin politics nowadays," he caustically remarked.
The Secret of the LeagueErnest Bramah
"That is very easy to say, uncle," replied Gonzalo caustically.
The Fourth Estate, vol. 2Armando Palacio Valds
caustic
- capable of burning or corroding by chemical actioncaustic soda
- sarcastic; cuttinga caustic reply
- of, relating to, or denoting light that is reflected or refracted by a curved surface
- Also called: caustic surface a surface that envelops the light rays reflected or refracted by a curved surface
- Also called: caustic curve a curve formed by the intersection of a caustic surface with a plane
- chem a caustic substance, esp an alkali
Word Origin for caustic
Word Origin and History for caustically
caustic
c.1400, "burning, corrosive," from Latin causticus "burning, caustic," from Greek kaustikos "capable of burning; corrosive," from kaustos "combustible; burnt," verbal adjective from kaiein, the Greek word for "to burn" (transitive and intransitive) in all periods, of uncertain origin with no certain cognates outside Greek. Figurative sense of "sarcastic" is attested from 1771. As a noun, early 15c., from the adjective.
caustic
(kô′stĭk)- A hydroxide of a light metal.
- A caustic material or substance.
- Capable of burning, corroding, dissolving, or eating away by chemical action.
- Of or relating to light emitted from a point source and reflected or refracted from a curved surface.
- Causing a burning or stinging sensation.