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ac·rid | \ ˈa-krəd 
\
\Definition of acrid
1 : sharp and harsh or unpleasantly pungent in taste or odor : irritating acrid smoke
2 : deeply or violently bitter : acrimonious an acrid denunciation
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Other Words from acrid
acridity \ a-ˈkri-də-tē , ə- \ noun
, ə- \ nounacridly \ ˈa-krəd-lē \ adverb
\ adverbacridness noun
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 His daughter Ivanka Trump, son-in-law Jared Kushner, press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, and Attorney General William Barr followed him, with the acrid smell of tear gas causing some watching journalists to cough.
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Rob Crilly, Washington Examiner, "Inside Trump's church visit to reassure a fearful public," 2 June 2020 The space, normally sweet with incense, was acrid with ash and stale smoke.
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Christa Lesté-lasserre, Science | AAAS, "Scientists are leading Notre Dame’s restoration—and probing mysteries laid bare by its devastating fire," 12 Mar. 2020 More problematically, director Abrahams leans so heavily into the gory violence (there's enough blood spatter to fuel a dozen horror films) that the proceedings take on an acrid aftertaste.
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Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Clover': Film Review," 11 Mar. 2020 Pelosi’s nationally televised ripping of her copy of Trump’s State of the Union address Tuesday night underscored the acrid atmosphere that will make partisan cooperation on any issue difficult.
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Washington Post, "AP News in Brief at 12:04 a.m. EST," 8 Feb. 2020 This movie, like that one, is a hyper-cartoony joy ride shot in hard-candy colors and edited into choppy, Gummy Bear-sized bits, loaded with acrid humor that’s delivered with a lot of knowing winks at the audience.
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Stephanie Zacharek, Time, "Birds of Prey Is a Candy-Colored Joy Ride, But Its Pleasures Ring Hollow," 5 Feb. 2020 The smell of acrid metal fills the air as Takashi Taniguchi reaches into the core of one of the world’s most powerful hydraulic presses.
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Mark Zastrow, Scientific American, "The Crystal Kings," 26 Nov. 2019 Fulton says that for many evacuees who have been through this experience before, even the smell of smoke — whose acrid, eye-stinging essence now pervades all of Santa Rosa — can trigger depression.
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Marco Della Cava, USA TODAY, "'When I smelled that smoke ... here we go again': Weary Californians seek shelter amid latest wildfire outbreak," 30 Oct. 2019 During my first visit, in 1993, Jim Courier defeated Stefan Edberg in a torrid men’s final, and when the photographers returned to the press room, there was an acrid smell.
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Christopher Clarey, New York Times, "As Australian Open Begins, Pollution From Fires Is in Play," 19 Jan. 2020
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'acrid.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for acrid
acrid
adjectiveac·rid | \ ˈa-krəd \
\Kids Definition of acrid
1 : sharp or bitter in taste or odor
2 : very harsh or unpleasant
an acrid manner
acrid
adjectiveac·rid | \ ˈak-rəd \
\Medical Definition of acrid
: irritatingly sharp and harsh or unpleasantly pungent in taste or odor
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Time Traveler for acrid
The first known use of acrid was in 1633
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