corrosive

[ kuh-roh-siv ]
See synonyms for: corrosivecorrosivescorrosivenesscorrosivity on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. having the quality of corroding or eating away; erosive.

  2. harmful or destructive; deleterious: the corrosive effect of poverty on their marriage.

  1. sharply sarcastic; caustic: corrosive comments on the speaker's integrity.

noun
  1. something corrosive, as an acid or drug.

Origin of corrosive

1
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

Other words from corrosive

  • 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

Words Nearby corrosive

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use corrosive in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for corrosive

corrosive

/ (kəˈrəʊsɪv) /


adjective
  1. (esp of acids or alkalis) capable of destroying solid materials

  2. tending to eat away or consume

  1. cutting; sarcastic: a corrosive remark

noun
  1. a corrosive substance, such as a strong acid or alkali

Derived forms of corrosive

  • 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