acerbic
adjective
acer·bic
ə-ˈsər-bik 
a-
: sharply or bitingly critical, sarcastic, or ironic in temper, mood, or tone
acerbic commentary
an acerbic reviewer
Did you know?
English speakers created acerbic in the 19th century by adding -ic to the adjective acerb. Acerb had been around since the 17th century, but for most of that time it had been used only to describe foods with a sour taste. (Acerb is still around today, but now it's simply a less common synonym of acerbic.) Acerbic and acerb ultimately come from the Latin adjective acerbus, which can mean "harsh" or "unpleasant." Another English word that comes from acerbus is exacerbate, which means "to make more violent or severe."
Examples of acerbic in a Sentence
Whitney has graced magazine covers for her acerbic and blunt evisceration of the banks she has covered. Several weeks ago, she left her well-paid post at Oppenheimer to start her own economic consultancy, where she will charge many of her employer's clients for her own unambiguous analysis.
—
Zachary Karabell, Newsweek, 9 Mar. 2009
… we probably have no choice but to enjoy Private Lives on its own terms—as a play that exults in its total lack of a public dimension. Coward's acerbic wit, his submerged sensibility, and his clipped semantics actually had a profound influence on the styles of virtually all the English dramatists who followed him …
—Robert Brustein, New Republic, 10 June 2002
… discovery of self-esteem and New Agey conclusions ("I discovered there was a goddess deep inside me") are something that an acerbic comedian like Cho shouldn't embrace without irony.
—Publishers Weekly, 7 May 2001
We want to experience how someone as acerbic as Jane Austen, as morally passionate as Dostoyevsky, as psychologically astute as Henry James makes sense of the chaos of this world.
—Laura Miller, New York Times Book Review, 15 Mar. 1998
the film's most acerbic critics
whispered a steady stream of acerbic comments as the lecturer droned on
Zachary Karabell, Newsweek, 9 Mar. 2009
… we probably have no choice but to enjoy Private Lives on its own terms—as a play that exults in its total lack of a public dimension. Coward's acerbic wit, his submerged sensibility, and his clipped semantics actually had a profound influence on the styles of virtually all the English dramatists who followed him …
—Robert Brustein, New Republic, 10 June 2002
… discovery of self-esteem and New Agey conclusions ("I discovered there was a goddess deep inside me") are something that an acerbic comedian like Cho shouldn't embrace without irony.
—Publishers Weekly, 7 May 2001
We want to experience how someone as acerbic as Jane Austen, as morally passionate as Dostoyevsky, as psychologically astute as Henry James makes sense of the chaos of this world.
—Laura Miller, New York Times Book Review, 15 Mar. 1998
the film's most acerbic critics
whispered a steady stream of acerbic comments as the lecturer droned on
Recent Examples on the Web
Jean Smart has earned three Emmys for her portrayal of acerbic Vegas comedy legend Deborah Vance, and Hannah Einbinder has established her career bona fides (and earned three Emmy nominations) as Deborah’s not-exactly-loyal employee, 20-something comedy writer Ava Daniels.
—Akiva Gottlieb, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2025
Makary, for instance, has been hailed for pioneering several surgical procedures; in the 2010s, Prasad, a hematologist-oncologist, gained recognition for his rigorous—albeit acerbic—takes on precision medicine and cancer drugs.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 17 May 2025
The White House has refused to level acerbic criticism at the Kremlin throughout slow-moving ceasefire negotiations, but has berated Ukraine's leader, Volodymyr Zelensky, and insinuated Ukraine started the war in eastern Europe more than three years ago.
—Ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 May 2025
Critics have praised the film for its raw and honest portrayal of a relationship and acerbic wit.
—Matt Donnelly, Variety, 9 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for acerbic
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Akiva Gottlieb, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2025
Makary, for instance, has been hailed for pioneering several surgical procedures; in the 2010s, Prasad, a hematologist-oncologist, gained recognition for his rigorous—albeit acerbic—takes on precision medicine and cancer drugs.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 17 May 2025
The White House has refused to level acerbic criticism at the Kremlin throughout slow-moving ceasefire negotiations, but has berated Ukraine's leader, Volodymyr Zelensky, and insinuated Ukraine started the war in eastern Europe more than three years ago.
—Ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 May 2025
Critics have praised the film for its raw and honest portrayal of a relationship and acerbic wit.
—Matt Donnelly, Variety, 9 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for acerbic
Cite this Entry
“Acerbic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/acerbic. Accessed 28 May. 2025.
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