corrosive

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. adj. Having the capability or tendency to cause corrosion: a corrosive acid.
2. adj. Gradually destructive; steadily harmful: corrosive anxiety; corrosive increases in prices; a corrosive narcotics trade.
3. adj. Spitefully sarcastic: corrosive criticism; corrosive wit.
4. n. A substance having the capability or tendency to cause corrosion.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. Literally, eating or gnawing; hence, destroying as if by gnawing away; wearing away or disintegrating by separating small parts or particles, especially under chemical action, as of acids: often used figuratively of immaterial agents, as care, time, etc., absolutely or with of.
2. n. Anything that corrodes, especially a chemical agent, as an acid; anything that wears away or disintegrates; figuratively, anything that has an analogous influence upon the mind or feelings.
3. To corrode.
4. To act by corrosion.

Wiktionary

1. adj. Eating away; having the power of gradually wearing, hanging, or destroying the texture or substance of a body; as the corrosive action of an acid.
2. adj. Having the quality of fretting or vexing.
3. adj. destroying or undermining something gradually
4. n. That which has the quality of eating or wearing away gradually.
5. n. Any solid, liquid or gas capable of irreparably harming living tissues or damaging material on contact.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. adj. Eating away; having the power of gradually wearing, changing, or destroying the texture or substance of a body.
2. adj. Having the quality of fretting or vexing.
3. n. That which has the quality of eating or wearing away gradually.
4. n. That which has the power of fretting or irritating.

WordNet 3.0

1. adj. spitefully sarcastic
2. n. a substance having the tendency to cause corrosion (such a strong acids or alkali)
3. adj. of a substance, especially a strong acid; capable of destroying or eating away by chemical action