vinegary
Americanadjective
-
of the nature of or resembling vinegar; sour; acid.
a vinegary taste.
-
having a disagreeable character or manner; crabbed; ill-tempered.
a vinegary person.
adjective
-
containing vinegar; tasting of or like vinegar
-
bad-tempered, sour, or peevish
Etymology
Origin of vinegary
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.
But Jude is more vinegary and direct about his concerns than he is melodramatic.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026
His foil is the vinegary, steely-spined principal, Sister Aloysius, who forbids the kids to sing “Frosty the Snowman” and is suspicious of ballpoint pens.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 29, 2024
Mambo sauce, also spelled as “mumbo,” is a regional specialty of the nation’s capital — a tomato-based sauce with a sweet, spicy and vinegary flavor.
From Washington Times • Sep. 26, 2023
His tone color on the piano can shift from vinegary to supple in seconds.
From New York Times • Aug. 7, 2023
It smells like his room used to when he lived at home, a faint vinegary reek that would cause Mom to break out the Febreze on a regular basis.
From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
Definitions 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.
