What does "vitriolic" mean?

Of or pertaining to vitriol; derived from or resembling vitriol.

What is a synonym for "vitriolic"?

Common synonyms include: acerb, acerbic, acerbic, acerbic, acid, acid.

How do you pronounce "vitriolic"?

Pronounced //vɪtɹɪˈɒlɪk//.

Vitriolic

//vɪtɹɪˈɒlɪk// adj

adj ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Adjective

1
Of or pertaining to vitriol; derived from or resembling vitriol. dated
"a vitriolic taste"
2
Bitterly scathing, caustic. figuratively
"vitriolic criticism"

Adjective

1
of a substance, especially a strong acid; capable of destroying or eating away by chemical action wordnet
2
harsh or corrosive in tone wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms

acerb acerbic acerbic acerbic acid acid

Antonyms

All antonyms

benign gentle

Example

More examples

"No one, who uſes his Senses, can possibly doubt, but there is ſomewhat of a vitriolic Nature found in Mineral Waters: for not only the Taſte, but the Sight confirms it, by their turning inky with Galls, &c."

Etymology

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

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.