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.
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 cor·ro·sive·ly , adverb cor·ro·sive·ness , cor·ro·siv·i·ty [kawr-oh-siv -i-tee, kor-] /ˌkɔr oʊˈsɪv ɪ ti, ˌkɒr-/ noun non·cor·ro·sive , adjective non·cor·ro·sive·ly , adverb non·cor·ro·sive·ness , noun Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Related Words for corrosive trenchant ,
destructive ,
incisive ,
acerbic ,
caustic ,
cutting ,
corroding ,
wasting ,
acrid ,
biting ,
sarcastic ,
venomous ,
virulent ,
acerb ,
erosive Examples from the Web for corrosive Contemporary Examples of corrosive Such was the corrosive paranoia of the time, fueled by McCarthy and abetted by Hoover.
The road salt makes a mushy, corrosive paste that is flung universally about the under-and over-sides of every vehicle.
Mr. President, you can speak out and help us confront this corrosive element, but time is running out.
This, surely, has had a corrosive effect on Tejpal and his self-image.
But the corrosive effects of both polarization and legal corruption were nothing compared to today.
Historical Examples of corrosive And send the story of the Steel-Blues' corrosive acid to it.
Hers, if she ever had it, had been drenched in as ugly a lot of corrosive liquid as could be imagined.
The taste of it came on his lips, nauseating and corrosive like some kinds of poison.
But his humour is bitter as gall, and corrosive as sulphuric acid.
The chloride is very poisonous, and is known as corrosive sublimate.
British Dictionary definitions for corrosive adjective (esp of acids or alkalis) capable of destroying solid materials
tending to eat away or consume
cutting; sarcastic a corrosive remark
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noun a corrosive substance, such as a strong acid or alkali
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Derived Forms corrosively , adverb corrosiveness , 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 adj. late 14c., from Old French corrosif (13c.), from corroder (see corrode ).
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
adj. Causing or tending to cause the gradual destruction of a substance by chemical action.
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n. A substance having the capability or tendency to cause slow destruction.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
