Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective caustic contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of caustic are acrid, mordant, and scathing. While all these words mean "stingingly incisive," caustic suggests a biting wit.

caustic comments

When is acrid a more appropriate choice than caustic?

While the synonyms acrid and caustic are close in meaning, acrid implies bitterness and often malevolence.

acrid invective

In what contexts can mordant take the place of caustic?

In some situations, the words mordant and caustic are roughly equivalent. However, mordant suggests a wit that is used with deadly effectiveness.

mordant reviews of the play

When might scathing be a better fit than caustic?

Although the words scathing and caustic have much in common, scathing implies indignant attacks delivered with fierce severity.

a scathing satire

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of caustic Jeanne Tripplehorn is having a blast as Dale’s caustic widow Betty Jo. Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 4 Sep. 2025 Ross gets away with such a surfeit of sentiment precisely because of his naturally caustic inclinations; the jokes are sharp enough and the laughs are hard and plentiful enough that all of the schmaltz feels not just charming but well-earned. Chris Jones, New York Daily News, 19 Aug. 2025 Both directors rely on a kind of caustic humor to uncover the class struggle that has always complicated the colonial one. Lovia Gyarkye, IndieWire, 19 Aug. 2025 At a time when Democrats claims the mantle of defending democracy, there would be nothing more caustic and self-defeating than championing policies that quite literally rig the system. Daniel Brennan, Baltimore Sun, 6 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for caustic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for caustic
Adjective
  • Notably absent was Jennette McCurdy, who played Carly's sarcastic sidekick Sam in the original series.
    Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 25 Sep. 2025
  • Denise – scrappy, sarcastic, and clever – at first was hostile towards Steven, but that passionate annoyance later evolved into teasing, affectionate companionship.
    Sarah John, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • And the show has to be satirical.
    Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Sep. 2025
  • Kuang's latest is a satirical look at the brutal nature of academia.
    Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 27 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • One way is when iron-rich rock is exposed to high temperatures and acidic conditions, but neither are evident in the area around Cheyava Falls.
    Keith Cooper, Space.com, 1 Oct. 2025
  • That occurs when the body runs out of insulin and starts burning fat for fuel, which can lead the blood to become dangerously acidic.
    Jonathan Lambert, NPR, 29 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Drinking coffee may stimulate an increase in acid production in the stomach.
    Carrie Madormo, Verywell Health, 6 Sep. 2025
  • This touchscreen pod machine has a lot to offer, including rich, balanced, coffee; a whopping eight brewing sizes; one-touch presets for low-acid, Americano, iced coffee, and cold brew; plus customizable temperature control and brew strength.
    Mark Marino, Bon Appetit Magazine, 29 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • The pair have traded many barbed comments since Khan was elected to lead London in 2016 — Khan strongly criticized the president the same year for pledging a travel ban on a number of majority-Muslim countries, which was enacted in 2017.
    Patrick Smith, NBC news, 24 Sep. 2025
  • Protests outside the Broadview facility continued midday Friday, with a handful of demonstrators holding up signs and cellphones toward a fence topped with barbed wire, video from the scene shows.
    Alisha Ebrahimji, CNN Money, 19 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Deep lab understanding of electrochemistry with the pragmatic systems engineering required to get field‐reliant hardware working in remote, corrosive environments.
    Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 23 Sep. 2025
  • On the other hand, both then and now, ubiquitous access to gruesome and horrifying imagery can have a corrosive social and cultural effect.
    Time, Time, 20 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Caustic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/caustic. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.

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