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Acerbic

 - 2 dictionary results

a⋅cer⋅bic

  [uh-sur-bik]
Use Acerbic in a Sentence
–adjective
1. sour or astringent in taste: Lemon juice is acerbic.
2. harsh or severe, as of temper or expression: acerbic criticism.
Origin:
1860–65; < L acerb(us) sour, unripe, bitterly harsh + -ic, irreg. for -ous

Related forms:
a⋅cer⋅bi⋅cal⋅ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To Acerbic
a·cer·bic   (ə-sûr'bĭk)   
adj.  

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

  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.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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