vitriolic
pronunciation
How to pronounce vitriolic in British English:
UK [ˌvɪtriˈɒlɪk]
How to pronounce vitriolic in American English:
US [ˌvɪtriˈɑlɪk]
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- Adjective:
- harsh or corrosive in tone
- of a substance, especially a strong acid; capable of destroying or eating away by chemical action
Word Origin
- vitriolic (adj.)
- 1660s, from French vitriolique (16c.) or from vitriol + -ic. Figurative sense "biting, caustic, very severe" is by 1841.
Example
- 1. But anger over the crash has snowballed , with many expressing vitriolic anti-chinese sentiment online .
- 2. Vitriolic opposition to such relatively popular moves as gay marriage or peace talks with eta plays well to a hard-core conservative audience , but not to the centre.mr zapatero has been quick to spot the gap .
- 3. You will see in the thread below vitriolic comments about smokers being disgusting , revolting , even sub-human ; for smokers are now fair game for just about any sort of abuse .
- 4. Meanwhile , the vitriolic propaganda campaign against south korean president lee myung-bak has reached new levels . The dprk twitter feed " uriminzok " recently added the prefix " rat-baby " ( a curse in korean ) to its usual reference to the lee " traitor faction " .