acerbic

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a·cer·bic

(ə-sûr′bĭk) also a·cerb (ə-sûrb′)

adj.

1. Sour or bitter tasting; acid. See Synonyms at bitter, sour.

2. Sharp or biting, as in character or expression: "At times, the playwright allows an acerbic tone to pierce through otherwise arid or flowery prose" (Alvin Klein).

[From Latin acerbus; see ak- in Indo-European roots.]

a·cer′bi·cal·ly adv.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

acerbic

(əˈsɜːbɪk) or

acerb

adj

harsh, bitter, or astringent; sour

[C17: from Latin acerbus sour, bitter]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

a•cer•bic

(əˈsɜr bɪk)

adj.

1. sour or astringent in taste.

2. sharply or bitterly severe, as temper or expression.

[1860–65; < Latin acerb(us) sour, unripe + -ic]

a•cer′bi•cal•ly, adv.

a•cer′bi•ty, n.

acerbic

- Often describes a sharp or biting mood, temper, tone, or wit; acerbity is normally a bit less sharp than sarcasm.

acerbic

adjective sharp, cutting, biting, severe, acid, bitter, nasty, harsh, stern, rude, scathing, acrimonious, barbed, unkind, unfriendly, sarcastic, sardonic, caustic, churlish, vitriolic, trenchant, acrid, brusque, rancorous, mordant, mordacious comments made in a spirit of acerbic wit

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

acerbic

adjective

1. Having a noticeably sharp pungent taste or smell:

acrid, bitter, harsh, sour.

2. Having a taste characteristic of that produced by acids:

acerb, acetous, acid, acidulous, dry, sour, tangy, tart.

3. So sharp as to cause mental pain:

acid, acidic, acrid, astringent, biting, caustic, corrosive, cutting, mordacious, mordant, pungent, scathing, sharp, slashing, stinging, trenchant, truculent, vitriolic.

Translations

ätzend beißend bitter gallig sauer

kärkeväkitkeräkyyninenpurevasarkastinen

acerbe âpre

acerbic

[əˈsɜːbɪk] ADJ

1. [taste] → acre, acerbo

2. (fig) → mordaz, cáustico

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

acerbic

[əˈsɜː^rbɪk] adj (= critical) [wit, comment, comedy] → acerbe

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

acerbic

adj person → gerissen; wit → scharf; remark, comment, style → bissig

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

acerbic

[əˈsɜːbɪk] adj (frm) (also) (fig) → acido/a

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

acerbic

, acerb

a. agrio-a, ácido-a, áspero-a.

English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012

Mentioned in ?

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Adj.	1.	acerbic - sour or bitter in taste acerb, astringent sour - having a sharp biting taste
	2.	acerbic - 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" blistering, caustic, acid, vitriolic, acerb, acrid, sulfurous, sulphurous, virulent, bitter unpleasant - disagreeable to the senses, to the mind, or feelings ; "an unpleasant personality"; "unpleasant repercussions"; "unpleasant odors"