Link Centre Dictionary

vitriolic

vit·rio·lic

UK/vɪtɹɪˈɒlɪk/ US/ˌvɪt.riˈɑ.lɪk/ uncommon dated

adjective

1.

harsh or corrosive in tone

  • “an acerbic tone piercing otherwise flowery prose”
  • “a barrage of acid comments”
  • “her acrid remarks make her many enemies”
  • “bitter words”
  • “blistering criticism”
  • “caustic jokes about political assassination, talk-show hosts and medical ethics”
  • “a sulfurous denunciation”
  • “a vitriolic critique”

Origin

From vitriol + -ic; or from French vitriolique (cognate with Italian vetriolico, Portuguese vitriolico, Spanish vitriólico).

Phrases

  • sulfuric acid
  • sulphuric acid
  • vitriolic acid
  • vitriolic acid air

Related words

Word family

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.