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I've always tried to walk a line between being incisive and acerbic, but not mean. Sometimes I'm going to tip over the line a little bit, but that's usually a line I try not to cross.
Mark Leibovich

Meaning of "acerbic" in the English dictionary

Dictionary
DICTIONARY
section

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD ACERBIC

From Latin acerbus sour, bitter.
info
Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.
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PRONUNCIATION OF ACERBIC

acerbic  [əˈsɜːbɪk] play
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GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF ACERBIC

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Acerbic is an adjective.
The adjective is the word that accompanies the noun to determine or qualify it.

WHAT DOES ACERBIC MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Definition of acerbic in the English dictionary

The definition of acerbic in the dictionary is harsh, bitter, or astringent; sour.


WORDS THAT RHYME WITH ACERBIC


amebic
əˈmiːbɪk
amoebic
əˈmiːbɪk
cherubic
tʃəˈruːbɪk
cubic
ˈkjuːbɪk
endamebic
ˌɛndəˈmiːbɪk
ephebic
ɛˈfiːbɪk
pubic
ˈpjuːbɪk
subpubic
sʌbˈpjuːbɪk
suprapubic
ˌsuːprəˈpjuːbɪk
terbic
ˈtɜːbɪk
unacerbic
ˌʌnəˈsɜːbɪk
ytterbic
ɪˈtɜːbɪk

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE ACERBIC

acellular
acentric
acephalic
acephalous
acequia
acer
acerate
acerb
acerbate
acerbically
acerbities
acerbity
acerola
acerose
acerous
acervate
acervation
acervulus
acescence
acescency

WORDS THAT END LIKE ACERBIC

aerobic
agoraphobic
alembic
anaerobic
claustrophobic
coulombic
gum arabic
homophobic
hydrophobic
Islamophobic
Lambic
limbic
monosyllabic
necrophobic
orthorhombic
phobic
polysyllabic
rabic
syllabic
xenophobic

Synonyms and antonyms of acerbic in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

SYNONYMS OF «ACERBIC»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «acerbic» and belong to the same grammatical category.
synonyms of acerbic

Translation of «acerbic» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF ACERBIC

Find out the translation of acerbic to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of acerbic from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «acerbic» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

尖刻
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

mordaz
570 millions of speakers

English

acerbic
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

कड़वाहट
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

لاذع
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

язвительный
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

mordaz
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

acerbic
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

acerbe
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

Acerbic
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

acerbic
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

辛辣な
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

신랄한
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Acerbic
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

khắc nghiệt
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

கசப்பான
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

एस्कर्बिक
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

acerbic
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

acerbic
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

zgryźliwy
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

уїдливий
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

acerb
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

οξύς
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

skerp
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

kärv
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

syrlige
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of acerbic

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «ACERBIC»

The term «acerbic» is regularly used and occupies the 90.963 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Regularly used
58
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «acerbic» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of acerbic
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «acerbic».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «ACERBIC» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «acerbic» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «acerbic» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about acerbic

EXAMPLES

4 QUOTES WITH «ACERBIC»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word acerbic.
1
Shelley Moore Capito
Those old adages - you attract more with honey; do unto others - are true. You can get attention by being acerbic or mean or making a bizarre comment. But by being nice, being empathetic, building relationships and listening, people begin to recognize that you're thoughtful and respectful of their position.
2
Mark Leibovich
I've always tried to walk a line between being incisive and acerbic, but not mean. Sometimes I'm going to tip over the line a little bit, but that's usually a line I try not to cross.
3
Mary McCormack
I can be a little acerbic.
4
John Scalzi
Humor is rare in science fiction... there's so little of it that it automatically reminds you of other heroes with that acerbic humor when you find it.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «ACERBIC»

Discover the use of acerbic in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to acerbic and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
500 of the Most Witty, Acerbic and Erudite Things Ever Said ...
Whether you want something fun to dip into, or you want to pepper your conversation and writing with apercus which will have your audience gasping in admiration, this is the source.
Stephen Eckett, 2006
2
Acerbic Intentions: Sour Saltish Vignettes from Life
Collection of humurous and satirical writings on situations adduced from day-to-day life.
U. S. Goswami, 2008
3
Five hundred of the most witty, acerbic and erudite things ...
This exclusive travel guide guides the visitor through the most incredible activities to be found in Shanghai: savour the food of world-class chefs in Asia's most romantic two-seater salon; eat at the best holes-in-the-walls and discover ...
‎2007
4
Dictionary of Confusable Words
acerbic see acid achievement/exploit/feat An achievement is an accomplishment that involved the overcoming of a disadvantage or difficulty: 'It is an achievement to pass your driving test after only ten lessons.' An exploit is a brave, risky or ...
Adrian Room, 2000
5
GRE:
The accretion of dirt has changed the color of the kitchen floor from white to brown, which is pretty disgusting. ACERBIC adj having a sour or bitter taste or character • Dorothy Parker was famous for her wit, which could be quite acerbic; Parker ...
Anne Curtis, 2003
6
Acerbic Diatribes of a Painter With a Laptop: Selected ...
15 selected essays illustrated with over 40 paintings - a collection of thought-provoking work by John Stillmunks with a Foreword by John Gaps III
John Stillmunks, 2010
7
Colour Engrained in the Mind: Character Profiling That ...
LiME Archetype of the Acerbic EMERaLD Green archetype of Creativity ViRiDian Green archetype of Specificity. Extravert Thinking the positive impression of Lime is of its sharpness and stimulation, and its exciting effects might be described ...
Don Pavey, Roy Osborne, 2010
8
Garner's Modern American Usage
John Carvel, “Questioning Professionalism of Teachers Can Be Harmful,” Guardian, 14 Jan. 1997, at 2. acerbic, in AmE, is sometimes said to be inferior to acerb because it is a syllable longer. But acerb is so rare and acerbic so common —at ...
Bryan Garner, 2009
9
Warrior of the Three Moons: Book I of the God Wars of Ithir
re you om The Druid's acerbic voice chased the euphoria from him and the vortex vanished. Had it not been for Oisín he would have made a fool of himself. Shamefaced, he halted beside Gruffydd. He was puzzling over his strange behavior ...
J. Michael Robertson, 2010
10
Jean-Luc Godard, Cinema Historian
acerbic. reviews”. of. themselves.128. It. was, however, above all in France that experimentation with film history through various means and media—books, lectures, and cineclub reprojections and debates—became a major focus in the ...
Michael Witt, 2013

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «ACERBIC»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term acerbic is used in the context of the following news items.
1
Life Story: Joe Parker is 'Dead, but interesting,' friends say
He had songs to sing, quiet good to do, and bitingly acerbic observations to make, especially of any hypocrisy or over-inflated egos. He had ... «AL.com, Jul 15»
2
Two more Vyapam scam deaths: Coincidence or plot to wipe out …
In one egregious incident, it almost blacklisted an English daily for running an acerbic profile of his wife and issued eviction notice to the author ... «Firstpost, Jul 15»
3
Elmwood Village fixture lived a rich life masked by mental illness
To those who saw Jeanne Cooper on Elmwood Avenue, she could be acerbic, blunt, even frightening. Maybe they saw her in a fit of rage or ... «Buffalo News, Jul 15»
4
Rampage in two Montreal suburbs leaves five dead
The court files, according to Journal de Montréal and La Presse, included an acerbic e-mail exchange in June, 2013, in which Mr. Dubuc wrote ... «The Globe and Mail, Jul 15»
5
7Days: Regional arts and entertainment, by Michael Harrington
Pointed jokes Comedian and activist Janeane Garofalo brings her acerbic wit and incisive commentary to a show at 8 p.m. at World Cafe Live, ... «Philly.com, Jul 15»
6
Artists offer hope on how to be an ally in nation's racial rift
Jessica Williams delivers her acerbic and energetic wit on Comedy Central's "The Daily Show." (Provided by Comedy Central). The ultra-quick ... «The Denver Post, Jul 15»
7
'Heil' director Bruggemann on satirising neo-Nazis
... acerbic social satire that explores contemporary German identity by poking politically incorrect fun at past history, neo-Nazis, race relations, ... «SBS, Jul 15»
8
Paul McCartney says he was 'frustrated' at how John Lennon …
We knew we were something other groups weren't: Lennon's skill, intelligence, acerbic wit, McCartney's melody, whatever he's got, Harrison's ... «NME.com, Jul 15»
9
Fake and deadly
... large degree of respectability and acceptability of cause oriented groups who in the past were generally acerbic, annoying and troublesome. «Philippine Star, Jul 15»
10
TDP-YSRC 'bonding' on a new high
Reacting to the acerbic criticism heaped by the Opposition, the TDP leaders hit back saying that the Opposition leaders did not care to protect ... «The Hindu, Jul 15»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Acerbic [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/acerbic>. May 2024 ».
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