vitriolic

Advancedzipf 2.57

Pronunciation

/ˌvɪtriˈɒlɪk/(vit-ree-OL-ik)

Part of speech

adjectiveformal

Chinese

尖刻的；恶毒的（言辞极其刻薄）

Definition

Filled with bitter, harsh, or caustic criticism.

Word family

  • vitriol/ˈvɪtriəl/(n)刻薄言辞

Collocations

  • vitriolic attack
  • vitriolic criticism
  • vitriolic language
  • vitriolic tone

Examples

  1. 1.The review was vitriolic, calling the film "an insult to cinema." (savagely critical)
  2. 2.Online discourse has become increasingly vitriolic in recent years. (poisonously harsh)

Synonyms

  • caustic/ˈkɔːstɪk/— burning, harshly critical
  • venomous/ˈvɛnəməs/— spiteful, poisonous
  • scathing/ˈskeɪðɪŋ/— severely critical

Etymology

from Latin "vitriolum" = sulfuric acid — "vitrum" = glass — words as corrosive as acid