caustic

¹caus·tic

adjective \ˈkȯs-tik\

Definition of CAUSTIC

1

: capable of destroying or eating away by chemical action : corrosive

2

: marked by incisive sarcasm

3

: relating to or being the surface or curve of a caustic

— caus·ti·cal·ly \-ti-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

— caus·tic·i·ty \kȯ-ˈsti-sə-tē\ noun

Examples of CAUSTIC

1. The chemical was so caustic that it ate through the pipes.
2. She wrote a caustic report about the decisions that led to the crisis.
3. His [Roosevelt's] caustic cousin, Alice Roosevelt Longworth, called him a sissy and a mama's boy. —Garry Wills, Atlantic, April 1994
4. It was Schuyler's gift for satire and his caustic wit that distinguished his writings and led to his nickname, the Black Mencken. —Henry Louis Gates, Jr., New York Times Book Review, 20 Sept. 1992
5. Albert quailed before those caustic pronouncements, he shuddered and blanched and felt his stomach drop like a croquette into a vat of hot grease. —T. Coraghessan Boyle, Harper's, October 1987

Origin of CAUSTIC

Latin causticus, from Greek kaustikos, from kaiein to burn

First Known Use: 14th century

Related to CAUSTIC

Synonyms

acerb, acerbic, acid, acidic, acidulous, acrid, barbed, biting, sarcastic, corrosive, cutting, mordant, pungent, sardonic, satiric (or satirical), scalding, scathing, sharp, smart-aleck, smart-alecky, smart-mouthed, snarky, tart

Related Words

brisk, cross, sharp-tongued, sour, sourish, spiky (also spikey), tartish; incisive, keen, poignant, trenchant; cynical, dry, ironic (also ironical), wry; facetious, flippant, tongue-in-cheek; acrimonious, bitter, resentful, vitriolic; harsh, rough, severe, stringent; abrupt, blunt, brusque (also brusk), concise, crisp, curt, gruff, pithy, snippety, snippy, succinct, terse; backhanded, insincere

Near Antonyms

amusing, droll, merry, playful, sportive, waggish; gentle, mild; bland; good-humored, good-natured; diplomatic, polite, smooth, suave, urbane; affable, cordial, genial, gracious, hospitable, sociable

Synonym Discussion of CAUSTIC

caustic, mordant, acrid, scathing mean stingingly incisive. caustic suggests a biting wit <caustic comments>. mordant suggests a wit that is used with deadly effectiveness <mordant reviews of the play>. acrid implies bitterness and often malevolence <acrid invective>. scathing implies indignant attacks delivered with fierce severity <a scathing satire>.

Other Chemical Engineering Terms

alkali, cation, decant, hygroscopic, isotope, oxidize, slurry, solute, viscous

²caus·tic

noun \ˈkȯs-tik\

Definition of CAUSTIC

1

: a caustic agent: as

a : a substance that burns or destroys organic tissue by chemical action

b : sodium hydroxide

2

: the envelope of rays emanating from a point and reflected or refracted by a curved surface

Origin of CAUSTIC

(see ¹caustic)

First Known Use: 15th century

Other Chemical Engineering Terms

alkali, cation, decant, hygroscopic, isotope, oxidize, slurry, solute, viscous