corrosive

American  

[kuh-roh-siv] / kəˈroʊ sɪv /

adjective

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

2. harmful or destructive; deleterious.

   the corrosive effect of poverty on their marriage.

3. sharply sarcastic; caustic.

   corrosive comments on the speaker's integrity.

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noun

1. something corrosive, as an acid or drug.

corrosive British  

/ kəˈrəʊsɪv /

adjective

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

2. tending to eat away or consume

3. cutting; sarcastic

   a corrosive remark

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noun

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

Other Word Forms

• corrosively adverb
• corrosiveness noun
• corrosivity noun
• noncorrosive adjective
• noncorrosively adverb
• noncorrosiveness noun

Etymology

Origin of corrosive

1350–1400; late Middle English (< Middle French ) < Medieval Latin corrōsīvus, equivalent to Latin corrōs ( us ) ( 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.

Example Sentences

Lord George Robertson's comments about "corrosive complacency" on defence will sting the government.

From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026

But the biggest impact is also the most corrosive.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 1, 2026

While German municipalities used to allow citizens to sprinkle salt on frozen walkways, this was banned years ago, in favour of just gravel, as the corrosive salt is known to attack the roots of trees.

From Barron's • Feb. 5, 2026

He singled out the U.S. as a leading threat, writing essays that criticized what he described as American arrogance and the corrosive influence of American consumerism—views that prompted peers to call him a “culture warrior.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 31, 2026

Five Soviet spacecraft— Veneras 8 through 12—have landed on Venus and successfully returned data from the surface, no insignificant feat in so hot, dense and corrosive a planetary atmosphere.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

Related Words

• acerbic
• caustic
• destructive
• incisive
• trenchant