corrosive
Americanadjective
-
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
adjective
-
(esp of acids or alkalis) capable of destroying solid materials
-
tending to eat away or consume
-
cutting; sarcastic
a corrosive remark
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
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
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.
Vocabulary lists containing corrosive
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
She highlighted how "corrosive" inflation can be, affecting lower-income households much harder than those with higher incomes, whose consumption has remained robust despite the surging inflation.
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
Experts say the age of pipes, the corrosive soil they’re buried in and pressure changes in pipes that send water to hillside neighborhoods all contribute to breaks across the aging system.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
I presumed the franchise was beyond repair, that decades of corrosive leadership had ended any hope of turning the ship around.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
"No child should be targeted under 16 for social media - it is addictive, it is corruptive, it is corrosive and it's predatory."
From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2026
There’s nothing so painful, so corrosive, as suspicion.
From "The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
