- acerbic
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adjective
Date: 1865
acid in temper, mood, or tone <acerbic commentary> <an acerbic reviewer> • acerbically adverb
New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.
acerbic
Look at other dictionaries:
Acerbic — A*cerb ic, a. Sour or severe. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
acerbic — index bitter (acrid tasting), harsh, mordacious Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 … Law dictionary
acerbic — (adj.) 1865, originally, and usually, figurative: sour, harsh, severe (of speech, manners, etc.), from L. acerbus harsh to the taste, sharp, bitter, sour (see ACERBITY (Cf. acerbity)) + IC (Cf. ic) … Etymology dictionary
acerbic — [adj] bitter, sharp, or sour acidic, acrid, astringent, caustic, harsh, sharp, tart; concept 613 … New thesaurus
acerbic — ► ADJECTIVE 1) sharp and forthright. 2) archaic or technical tasting sour or bitter. DERIVATIVES acerbically adverb acerbity noun. ORIGIN from Latin acerbus sour tasting … English terms dictionary
acerbic — [ə sʉr′bik] adj. [Fr acerbe < L acerbus: see ACERBITY] 1. sour in taste 2. sharp, bitter, or harsh in temper, language, etc … English World dictionary
acerbic — [[t]əsɜ͟ː(r)bɪk[/t]] ADJ GRADED Acerbic humour is critical and direct. [FORMAL] Comments I have made in a spirit of slightly acerbic wit have been misunderstood... His lyrics are as acerbic and poignant as they ever have been. Syn: sharp … English dictionary
acerbic — acerbically, adv. /euh serr bik/, adj. 1. sour or astringent in taste: Lemon juice is acerbic. 2. harsh or severe, as of temper or expression: acerbic criticism. [1860 65; < L acerb(us) sour, unripe, bitterly harsh + IC, irreg. for OUS] * * * … Universalium
acerbic — adjective /əˈsɜrbɪk/ a) Sour or bitter. Those consumers who object to the acerbic taste of garlic can purchase de odorized garlic or allicin extract. b) Sarcastic or cynical. Supercompetent, superconfident and supercritical, Schmidt is a gifted… … Wiktionary
acerbic — adj. Acerbic is used with these nouns: ↑wit … Collocations dictionary
