acrid

adjective

ac·​rid ˈa-krəd 

1

: sharp and harsh or unpleasantly pungent in taste or odor : irritating

acrid smoke

2

: deeply or violently bitter : acrimonious

an acrid denunciation

acridity

a-ˈkri-də-tē 

ə-

noun

acridly

ˈa-krəd-lē 

adverb

acridness noun

Did you know?

Acrid exactly fits the smoke from a fire—a burning building or forest, for example. Dense smog may cast an acrid pall over a city, making throats burn and eyes sting. But, like acid and acerbic, acrid sometimes also describes nonphysical things, such as the remarks of a bitter person.

Synonyms of acrid

• sore
• bitter
• angry
• cynical
• acrimonious
• rancorous
• embittered
• resentful
• sarcastic

Choose the Right Synonym for acrid

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

Examples of acrid in a Sentence

Thick, acrid smoke rose from the factory.

there have been acrid relations between the two families ever since they fought over that strip of land

Recent Examples on the Web

And then, on cue, Saturday thunderstorms compelled the acrid haze to stray. — Jerry Brewer, New York Times, 20 July 2026

From torrid heat waves, to deadly flash floods, to raging wildfires and their associated acrid smoke — the signs are all around us, right now. — Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 20 July 2026

Smoke from a Boyle Heights warehouse fire shrouds Dodger Stadium in acrid haze before the Dodgers’ 12-1 loss to the Baltimore Orioles. — Liana Handler, Los Angeles Times, 21 June 2026

Fighter jets roared overhead, and air strikes pounded the surrounding hillsides, sending up thick plumes of acrid smoke. — Euan Ward, New Yorker, 29 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin ācr-, ācer "sharp, pungent, biting" + the English formative -id (as in acid entry 2); replacing acrious, from Latin ācer + -ious — more at acr-

First Known Use

1633, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

acrid

adjective

ac·​rid ˈak-rəd 

1

: biting or bitter in taste or odor

2

: bitterly irritating to the feelings

an acrid remark

acridly adverb

acridness noun

Medical Definition

acrid

adjective

ac·​rid ˈak-rəd 

: irritatingly sharp and harsh or unpleasantly pungent in taste or odor

acridly adverb