''acerbic'' ▫ᴱᴺ Entries

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''acerbic'' ▫ᴱᴺ｜Definition｜1st｜20260904134559-00-⌔

acerbic - Wiktionary, the free dictionary

English

Adjective

acerbic (comparative more acerbic, superlative most acerbic)

• Tasting sour or bitter.
  • ✤ Those consumers who object to the acerbic taste of garlic can purchase de-odorized garlic or allicin extract.¹
• (figurative) Sharp, harsh, biting.
  • ✤ Supercompetent, superconfident and supercritical, Schmidt is a gifted orator whose acerbic wit earned him the nickname “Schmidt the Lip.”²
  • ✤ [H]e is one of the most acerbic people in his field, quick to take offense and not shy about telling people with whom he disagrees how much he thinks they have failed in thought and action.³

Etymology

Attested since the 17th century, from Latin acerbus (“sour, bitter”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA: /əˈsɜː(ɹ)bɪk/
• (US) enPR: ə-sûr’bĭk
• (US) IPA: /əˈsərbɪk/
  • Audio (US): 🔊
• Hyphenation: a‧cer‧bic
• Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)bɪk

Printed 2026-09-04.

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Footnotes

1. 1998 August 5, Dr. Peter Gott, “Can inhaler cause addiction?”, in Catoosa County News, retrieved 19 September 2009: ↩

2. 1986 September 22, “West Germany: Last Taunts From the Lip”, in TIME ‎${}^{[1]}$, archived from the original on 14 February 2021, retrieved 25 April 2014: ↩

3. 2005 May 5, Jay Mathews, “Don’t Fire This Professor”, in Washington Post, page T6: ↩

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