acerb

adjective

ə-ˈsərb 

a-

: sharply or bitingly critical, sarcastic, or ironic in temper, mood, or tone : acerbic

acerb humor

Synonyms of acerb

• sarcastic
• satiric
• acid
• acidic
• barbed
• acerbic

Examples of acerb in a Sentence

a professor with a rather acerb sense of humor

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French & Latin; French acerbe, going back to Old French, borrowed from Latin acerbus, going back to a pre-Latin stem *akri-þo-, derivative of *ā̆kri- "sharp" — more at acrid

Note: This etymology presupposes that underlying the -b- is the same adjective suffix that normally appears as -id- (< -*iþ- < Indo-European *-id^h-). The presumed development would be *akri-þo-, then by syncope > akr̥þos, then by vocalization > *akerþos > *akerfos > acerbus. For the treatment of Indo-European *d^h in this position a standard Latin basis of comparison is verbum.

First Known Use

1822, in the meaning defined above