Hypertext Webster Gateway: "vitriolic"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Vitriolic \Vit`ri*ol"ic\, a. [Cf. F. vitriolique.] (Chem.)
Of or pertaining to vitriol; derived from, or resembling,
vitriol; vitriolous; as, a vitriolic taste. Cf. {Vitriol}.
{Vitriolic acid} (Old Chem.),
(a) sulphuric acid. See {Vitriol}
(b) . [Colloq.]
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
vitriolic
adj 1: harsh or corrosive in tone; "an acerbic tone piercing
otherwise flowery prose"; "a barrage of acid
comments"; "her acrid remarks make her many enemies";
"bitter words"; "blistering criticism"; "caustic jokes
about political assassination, talk-show hosts and
medical ethics"; "a sulfurous denunciation" [syn: {acerb},
{acerbic}, {acid}, {acrid}, {bitter}, {blistering}, {caustic},
{sulfurous}, {sulphurous}, {venomous}, {virulent}]
2: of a substance, especially a strong acid; capable of
destroying or eating away by chemical action [syn: {caustic},
{corrosive}, {erosive}]
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