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vitriolize

American  
[vi-tree-uh-lahyz] / ˈvɪ tri əˌlaɪz /
especially British, vitriolise

verb (used with object)

vitriolized, vitriolizing

  1. to treat with or change into vitriol.

  2. to injure or burn with sulfuric acid.

vitriolize British  
/ ˈvɪtrɪəˌlaɪz /

verb

  1. to convert into or treat with vitriol

  2. to burn or injure with vitriol

"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

Other Word Forms

  • unvitriolized adjective
  • vitriolization noun

Etymology

Origin of vitriolize

First recorded in 1685–95; vitriol + -ize

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.