vitriol
Americannoun
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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.
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oil of vitriol; sulfuric acid.
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something highly caustic or severe in effect, as criticism.
verb (used with object)
noun
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another name for sulphuric acid
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any one of a number of sulphate salts, such as ferrous sulphate ( green vitriol ), copper sulphate ( blue vitriol ), or zinc sulphate ( white vitriol )
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speech, writing, etc, displaying rancour, vituperation, or bitterness
verb
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to attack or injure with or as if with vitriol
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to treat with vitriol
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A former name for sulfuric acid.
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Any of various sulfates of metals, such as ferrous sulfate (green vitriol), zinc sulfate, or copper sulfate (blue vitriol).
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See also blue vitriol
Etymology
Origin of vitriol
1350–1400; Middle English < Medieval Latin vitriolum, vitreolum, equivalent to Latin vitre(us) vitreous + -olum, neuter of -olus -ole 1
Explanation
Vitriol is harsh, nasty criticism. You may have deserved some blame when the cake didn't rise, but the head chef's stream of vitriol was unnecessary. Back in the day, vitriol was the name for sulfuric acid, which burns through just about anything. So think of vitriol as language so mean-spirited and bitter that it could eat through metal: "As a divorce lawyer, you were familiar with vitriol, but nothing prepared you for the time you wore a Red Sox cap at Yankee Stadium."
Vocabulary lists containing vitriol
This Week in Words: October 21- 27, 2018
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This Week In Culture: November 23–29, 2019
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A Word's-Eye View of Presidential Candidates in 2016: Campaign Announcements
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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.
Dates don’t deserve this kind of vitriol from me, especially when they’re packed with numerous health benefits, highly shelf-stable and hailed as “nature’s candy.”
From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2026
“To have this gentleman who just exuded kindness and compassion was like an antidote to all the tumult and vitriol in the world,” Couric said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
The reaction is swift, defensive and many times delivered with the vitriol of an adolescent facing the cosmic injustice of screen-time limits.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 21, 2026
"I don't understand why I'm doing this, suffering and crying," sobbed Sakura – a pop veteran, who'd never encountered such vitriol in her previous bands, HKT48 and Iz*One.
From BBC ● Jun. 4, 2026
“You carried oil of vitriol knocking about in a sack? It is infinitely dangerous, my boy.”
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
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.
