vitriol

noun

vit·ri·ol | \ ˈvi-trē-əl

Definition of vitriol

1 : something felt to resemble vitriol especially in caustic quality especially : virulence of feeling or of speech

2a : a sulfate of any of various metals (such as copper, iron, or zinc) especially : a glassy hydrate of such a sulfate

b : oil of vitriol

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Examples of vitriol in a Sentence

His speech was full of political vitriol. a film critic noted for the vitriol and sometimes outright cruelty of his pronouncements

Recent Examples on the Web

And the vitriol against Ford is not unlike the kind those who shared their stories using the hashtag #WhyIDidntReport, experienced. — Sarah Stankorb, Glamour, "Are Hashtags Like #MeToo and #BelieveWomen Hurting or Helping Survivors?," 15 Oct. 2018 This newfound Puritan vitriol from the left is ludicrous. — WSJ, "Men: Good Character Still Matters, as it Always Has," 5 Oct. 2018 For the past few months, the comments of the royal family’s accounts, especially that of Kensington Palace, have been flooded with vitriol. — Elise Taylor, Vogue, "Kensington Palace Is Taking Action Against Social Media Trolls," 4 Mar. 2019 For his part, Onfroy denied the charges, and had repeatedly spoken with vitriol about Ayala and all who support her claims. — Hannah Giorgis, The Atlantic, "How Will XXXTentacion Be Remembered?," 19 June 2018 In private conversations, Mr. Trump lashes out regularly at Attorney General Jeff Sessions with a vitriol that stuns members of his staff. — Mark Landler And Maggie Haberman, New York Times, "Trump’s Chaos Theory for the Oval Office Is Taking Its Toll," 1 Mar. 2018 While Ford is the one actually under the attack of credible death threats and violent vitriol, Kavanaugh is the person with all the protections of the government. — Abby Gardner, Glamour, "Death Threats and Discrediting: The Treatment of Christine Blasey Ford Is a Reminder of What's at Stake for Sexual Assault Survivors," 21 Sep. 2018 Hundreds of people swarmed the shop’s phone lines, Facebook , Yelp and Google pages with vitriol and threats. — Andy Ngo, WSJ, "An Online Mob’s Faulty Transmission," 23 July 2018 That shouldn't create an instant wave of fan vitriol and demands for the next guy to come in the game. — Nick Baumgardner, Detroit Free Press, "Shea Patterson is one guy; Michigan football needs more than that," 2 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'vitriol.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.