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corrosive

[ kuh-roh-siv ]
/ kəˈroʊ sɪv /
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR corrosive ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

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

something corrosive, as an acid or drug.

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RELATED WORDS

trenchant, destructive, incisive, acerbic, caustic, cutting, corroding, wasting, acrid, biting, sarcastic, venomous, virulent, acerb, erosive

Nearby words

  1. corroborative,
  2. corroboree,
  3. corrode,
  4. corrody,
  5. corrosion,
  6. corrosive sublimate,
  7. corrugate,
  8. corrugated,
  9. corrugated iron,
  10. corrugated paper

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
Related forms
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for corrosive

British Dictionary definitions for corrosive

corrosive

/ (kəˈrəʊsɪv) /

adjective

(esp of acids or alkalis) capable of destroying solid materials
tending to eat away or consume
cutting; sarcastica corrosive remark

noun

a corrosive substance, such as a strong acid or alkali
Derived Formscorrosively, adverbcorrosiveness, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for corrosive

corrosive

adj.

late 14c., from Old French corrosif (13c.), from corroder (see corrode).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Medicine definitions for corrosive

corrosive

[ kə-rō′sĭv ]

adj.

Causing or tending to cause the gradual destruction of a substance by chemical action.

n.

A substance having the capability or tendency to cause slow destruction.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.