vitriol

[ vi-tree-uh l ]

/ ˈvɪ tri əl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR vitriol ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Chemistry. any of certain metallic sulfates of glassy appearance, as copper sulfate or blue vitriol, iron sulfate or green vitriol, zinc sulfate or white vitriol, etc.

oil of vitriol; sulfuric acid.

something highly caustic or severe in effect, as criticism.

verb (used with object), vit·ri·oled, vit·ri·ol·ing or (especially British) vit·ri·olled, vit·ri·ol·ling.

to treat with or as with vitriol, especially sulfuric acid.

Nearby words

Origin of vitriol

1350–1400; Middle English < Medieval Latin vitriolum, vitreolum, equivalent to Latin vitre(us) vitreous + -olum, neuter of -olus -ole¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for vitriol

Unfortunately, the attention to appearance also leads to copious amounts of vitriol being spewed at famous women every day.
The Outrage Over Beyonce’s Bettie Page Bangs: Why the Media Must Stop Objectifying Women|Phoebe Robinson|October 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Indeed, few filmmakers get as much bile and vitriol spewed their way as the man behind Madea.
Gone Girl’s Biggest Twist Is the Superb Tyler Perry|Alex Suskind|October 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Threats, intimidation, and the usual Internet vitriol sprouted.
How Not to Reply to a Racist Tweet|Tauriq Moosa|August 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This, in turn, feeds into an outpouring of anti-Arab vitriol on social media.
Is Twitter Trolling Making the Israel-Palestine Conflict Worse?|Emily Shire|July 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Just Google “Patrick Wilson Girls backlash,” and wait for the hateful, Lena Dunham-bashing vitriol to bombard your screen.
Louis C.K. Apologizes to the ‘Fat Girls’|Amy Zimmerman|May 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It thenceforward became a matter of history that Felicite herself got up every night to sprinkle the poplar with vitriol.
The Fortune of the Rougons|Emile Zola
Very soon they heard The Butcher's heavy footstep as he went out to get his raw meat and vitriol punch.
The Guardian Angel|Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
These were packed on a few mules, still left in the fort, in company with twenty-four kegs of brandy mixed with vitriol.
Stoneheart|Gustave Aimard
I calculated there was nothing weaker than vitriol in his cellar, so I begged to be excused.
Harper's New Monthly Magazine, Vol. 2, No. 8, January, 1851|Various
Neither water nor acid of vitriol will separately dissolve iron, so as to produce inflammable air, but both together will do it.
Heads of Lectures on a Course of Experimental Philosophy: Particularly Including Chemistry|Joseph Priestley

British Dictionary definitions for vitriol

vitriol

/ (ˈvɪtrɪˌɒl) /

noun

another name for sulphuric acid

any one of a number of sulphate salts, such as ferrous sulphate (green vitriol), copper sulphate (blue vitriol), or zinc sulphate (white vitriol)

speech, writing, etc, displaying rancour, vituperation, or bitterness

verb -ols, -oling, -oled, -olling or -olled (tr)

to attack or injure with or as if with vitriol

to treat with vitriol

Word Origin for vitriol

C14: from Medieval Latin vitriolum, from Late Latin vitriolus glassy, from Latin vitrum glass, referring to the glossy appearance of the sulphates

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 vitriol

vitriol

late 14c., "sulphate of iron," from Old French vitriol (13c.), from Medieval Latin vitriolum "vitriol," from neuter of vitriolus, from Late Latin vitreolus "of glass," from Latin vitreus "of glass, glassy," from vitrium "glass" (see vitreous). So called from its glassy appearance in certain states. Meaning "bitter or caustic feelings" first attested 1769, in reference to the corrosive properties of vitriol (when heated it produces sulfuric acid, formerly called oil of vitriol).

Medicine definitions for vitriol