acerbic

• POS: Adjective
• HYPHEN: a=cer=bic

CIDE DICTIONARY

acerbic, a. 

 Sour or severe.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

acerbic, adj.
1 astringently sour; harsh-tasting.
2 bitter in speech, manner, or temper.

Derivative

acerbically adv. acerbity n. (pl. -ies).

Etymology

L acerbus sour-tasting

THESAURUS

acerbic

acerb, acerbate, acescent, acetose, acid, acidic, acidulent, acidulous, acrid, acrimonious, amaroidal, asperous, astringent, biting, bitter, bitter as gall, burning, caustic, choleric, coarse, corroding, corrosive, crab, crabbed, cutting, dry, embittered, escharotic, green, hard, harsh, incisive, irritating, keen, mordacious, mordant, nose-tickling, penetrating, pickled, piercing, piquant, poignant, pungent, rancorous, rankled, resentful, resenting, rough, scathing, scorching, sec, severe, sharp, sore, sour, sour as vinegar, soured, sourish, splenetic, stabbing, stewing, stinging, tart, tartish, trenchant, unripe, unsweet, unsweetened, vinegarish, vinegary, virulent, vitriolic, withering

ROGET THESAURUS

acerbic

Asceticism

N asceticism, puritanism, sabbatarianism, cynicism, austerity, total abstinence, nephalism, mortification, maceration, sackcloth and ashes, flagellation, penance, fasting, martyrdom, ascetic, anchoret, anchorite, martyr, Heautontimorumenos, hermit, puritan, sabbatarian, cynic, sanyasi, yogi, ascetic, austere, puritanical, cynical, over-religious, acerbic.

Bitterness

N bitterness, acridness, acridity, acrimony, caustic, alkali, acerbity, gall, wormwood, bitters, astringent bitters, Angostura, aromatic bitters, sourness, pungency, alkaloids, turmeric, bitter, bitterish, acrid, acerb, acerbic, bitter as gall, bitter pill to take, sugar coating on a bitter pill.