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- Dictionaryacerb/əˈsəːb/
adjective
- 1. another term for acerbic literary US
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Word History. Etymology. borrowed from French & Latin; French acerbe, going back to Old French, borrowed from Latin acerbus, going back to a pre-Latin stem *akri-þo-, derivative of *ā̆kri- "sharp" — more at acrid.
2 meanings: 1. bitter or sour 2. curt, snappy or waspish.... Click for more definitions.
Define acerb. acerb synonyms, acerb pronunciation, acerb translation, English dictionary definition of acerb. also a·cerb adj. 1. Sour or bitter tasting; acid. See Synonyms at bitter, sour. 2. Sharp or biting, as in character or expression: "At times, the playwright...
having a sharp biting taste. adjective. harsh or corrosive in tone. synonyms: acerbic, acid, acrid, astringent, bitter, blistering, caustic, sulfurous, sulphurous, virulent, vitriolic. unpleasant. disagreeable to the senses, to the mind, or feelings.
Acerb definition: acerbic. . See examples of ACERB used in a sentence.
What does the adjective acerb mean? There are two meanings listed in OED's entry for the adjective acerb. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence. This word is used in U.S. English. See meaning & use. How common is the adjective acerb? Fewer than 0.01 occurrences per million words in modern written English. See frequency.
Jun 2, 2024 · acerb (comparative acerber or more acerb, superlative acerbest or most acerb) Sour, bitter, and harsh to the taste, such as unripe fruit. Synonym: acerbic
used to describe something that is spoken or written in a way that is direct, witty, and cruel: The letters show the acerbic wit for which Parker was both admired and feared. SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases. Unkind, cruel & unfeeling. acerbically. acerbity. acidly. anti-cruelty. anti-humanitarian. cruelly. cruelty to someone/something.
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers. Word origin. C17: from Latin acerbus sour, bitter. Word Frequency. acerbic in American English. (əˈsɜrbɪk ) adjective. 1. sour in taste. 2. sharp, bitter, or harsh in temper, language, etc. Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition.
Acerb Definition. əsʉrb. Meanings. Synonyms. Definition Source. Word Forms. Origin. Adjective. Filter. adjective. acerber, acerbest. Acerbic. Webster's New World. Sour, bitter, and harsh to the taste, as unripe fruit. Wiktionary. Sharp and harsh in expressing oneself. Wiktionary. Synonyms: acerbic. astringent. vitriolic. virulent. sulphurous.
