Vitriolic

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Vitriolic \Vit`ri*ol"ic\, a. [Cf. F. vitriolique.]
     1. (Chem.) Of or pertaining to vitriol; derived from, or
        resembling, vitriol; vitriolous; as, a vitriolic taste.
        Cf. {Vitriol}.
        [1913 Webster]
  


     2. Biting, bitter or caustic; having or expressing strong and
        unpleasantly negative feelings; -- of speech or feelings;
        the vitriolic denunciations of opponents by partisan
        columnists.
        [PJC]
  
     {Vitriolic acid} (Old Chem.),
        (a) sulphuric acid. See {Vitriol}
        (b) . [Colloq.]
            [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  vitriolic
       adj 1: 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" [syn: {acerb},
               {acerbic}, {acid}, {acrid}, {bitter}, {blistering}, {caustic},
               {sulfurous}, {sulphurous}, {venomous}, {virulent}]
       2: of a substance, especially a strong acid; capable of
          destroying or eating away by chemical action [syn: {caustic},
           {corrosive}, {erosive}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  64 Moby Thesaurus words for "vitriolic":
     acerbic, acid, acidulous, acrid, acrimonious, antagonistic,
     antipathetic, asperous, astringent, belligerent, biting, bitter,
     caustic, clashing, colliding, conflicting, cutting, despiteful,
     double-edged, edged, envenomed, escharotic, fierce, full of hate,
     harsh, hateful, hostile, incisive, irritating, keen, malevolent,
     malicious, malignant, mordacious, mordant, nose-tickling,
     penetrating, piercing, piquant, poignant, pungent, quarrelsome,
     rancorous, repugnant, rigorous, rough, scathing, set against,
     severe, sharp, sore, sour, spiteful, stabbing, stinging, strident,
     stringent, tart, trenchant, vehement, venenate, venomous, violent,
     virulent