Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- adj. Of, similar to, or derived from a vitriol.
- adj. Bitterly scathing; caustic: vitriolic criticism.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- Of or pertaining to vitriol; having the properties of vitriol, or obtained from vitriol.
- Biting; caustic; very severe or censorious.
Wiktionary
- adj. of, derived from, or similar to a vitriol
- adj. bitterly scathing; caustic: vitriolic criticism
- adj. chemistry : Of or pertaining to vitriol; derived from, or resembling, vitriol; vitriolous; as, a vitriolic taste.
GNU Webster's 1913
- adj. (Chem.) Of or pertaining to vitriol; derived from, or resembling, vitriol; vitriolous. Cf. vitriol.
- adj. Biting, bitter or caustic; having or expressing strong and unpleasantly negative feelings; -- of speech or feelings.
WordNet 3.0
- adj. harsh or corrosive in tone
- adj. of a substance, especially a strong acid; capable of destroying or eating away by chemical action
Etymologies
- Cf. French vitriolique. (Wiktionary)
Examples
“I think "vitriolic" is the exact language she uses.”
“So why do you feel you aren’t a bigot, being that you find the term vitriolic and ad hominem, and how do you feel that it isn’t bigotry that is at the core of these issues?”
“Feeding fear and hate and engaging in vitriolic attacks against the character of the Democratic Party leadership just isn't the way to go from here.”
“Starts with a topic and degenerates into sniping, innuendo and ends in vitriolic namecalling.”
Think Progress » Frist and Torture: What Did He Know and When Did He Know It?
“The blow against the United States was meant to put an end to the internal rivalries, which are manifest in vitriolic memos between Kabul and cells abroad.”
“More important is the fact that after 3 decades of an Islamic regime in Iran, characterized by vitriolic anti-Israel and anti-US positions, the Iranians are viewed by the Sunni-Arabs of the Middle East, as a Shi'ite regime, bent on creating a Shi'ite revival in the Muslim world, assisted by the heretic Alawites.”
The Huffington Post: Dr. Josef Olmert: How Likely Is an Iranian-Hezbollah Intervention in Syria?
“Might Is Right" has been called a vitriolic, racist hymn to the doctrine of force, and one of the most incendiary books ever published.”
“Mencken, known as a vitriolic critic to many, here displays pedestrian knowledge of the law but lucid insight to public choice theory.”
“Frequent visitors to my journal will recall the vitriolic bile I spew in the general direction of The Da Vinci Code - and for many reasons.”
“The more we learn about this disturbed young man, the clearer it becomes that so-called vitriolic political speech had nothing to do with Saturday's tragedy.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘vitriolic’.
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501
Classic
mete, ire, bane, bilk, boor, elan, ado, toil, onus, aberration, abstruse, anomaly and 401 more...
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Interesting words
A list of words that are odd or words that I have looked up.
concupiscence, brize, scree, scoria, forestaff, spanaemia, valetudinarianism, distasture, pyrethrum, laudanum, gentian, bicameral and 11184 more...
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501
Classic
aberration, abstruse, anomaly, assiduous, august, banal, boisterous, dulcet, epitome, impudent, insolent, mellifluous and 401 more...
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GRE 2014
abase, abate, abdicate, aberrant, abeyance, abhor, abjure, abortive, abound, abrasive, abreast, abridge and 1577 more...
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phrontistery-v
from phrontistery.info
vaccary, vaccimulgence, vaccine, vacillate, vadelect, vade-mecum, vadimony, vadose, vafrous, vagient, vagile, vagility and 396 more...
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501
Classic
irk, teem, blight, pith, moot, mete, ire, bane, bilk, boor, elan, ado and 401 more...
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501
Classic
aberration, abstruse, anomaly, assiduous, august, banal, boisterous, dulcet, epitome, impudent, insolent, mellifluous and 401 more...
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In provocation
When exasperated, vexed or distressed.
bunkum, pananxiety, hokum, odor of sanctity, facade of strength, bumpkin, sardonic, Philistine, Vandal, dilettante, acerbic, acrid and 11 more...
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gre2
aberrant, aberration, aboveboard, abrasive, abstemious, acme, admonish, affable, affluent, alacrity, allegory, alleviate and 1855 more...
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List 015
compelling, clandestine, capacious, captivate, amicable, emulate, fetter, frugal, hackneyed, hiatus, inane, jubilant and 13 more...
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maf
sectarian, sectarian =narrow..., oppression, oppress, sort out, worldwide, legit, constrain, constrained, I feel constrained, constraint, divisive and 56 more...
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Dark
mephitic, etiolate, dyspeptic, vitriolic, obsequious, sibilant, crepitation, jejune, plangent, lugubrious
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GRE Words
abjure, unswear, state, rescission, indemnification, ab, reny, abnegate, vitiated, vitiate, adumbrated, abash and 378 more...
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Personal Vocabulary List
All my favourite words that I come across!
veritable, incongruence, rigamorole, letcherous, revolting, repulsive, reputrid, rapatious, forays, guise, placate, paradigm and 1162 more...
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Barron's 1100 words you need to know ...
adamant, ardent, array, bereft, besmirch, constrict, culminate, egotist, exultation, falter, humility, invective and 8 more...
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BonMots
assiduous, progeny, hegemony, nascent, reticent, ephemera, zeitgeist, recalcitrant, copious, corporeal, cacaphonous, obstreperous and 108 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for vitriolic.
singlepayernow Jerry Falwell & Pat Robertson (separate or together) Nov 30, 2007
quotato "a sulfurous denunciation"; "a vitriolic critique" Jul 24, 2007
thinkcharlene Law & Order - Season 17, Episode 7 - "In Vino Veritas" Mar 10, 2007