1
as in acidic
causing or characterized by the one of the four basic taste sensations that is produced chiefly by acids
a slightly acidulous drink that is far more refreshing than the overly sweet iced tea that is also available
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2
as in sarcastic
marked by the use of wit that is intended to cause hurt feelings
a gently acidulous writing style that never becomes annoying
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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of acidulous
Six days a week, its chirpy, acidulous anchors expose the shortcomings of cabinet ministers and their opposition shadows.
—
Dominic Green, WSJ, 11 Nov. 2022
Ray collaborated with the cinematographer Harry Stradling to create a screeching, acidulous palette of yellows, reds, and greens that stand out all the more against Ray’s calculated array of black-and-white outfits.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2022
His tangy, off-kilter visual compositions, rendered in an acidulous, sun-washed Kodachrome palette, convey a sense of spontaneous wonder and enthusiasm and lend daily conversations and activities a distinctive cinematic identity.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 23 June 2022
Here, Mankiewicz, working for the first time in color—in a palette on the edge of the alluring and the acidulous—relies on a determinedly moving camera to convey the passage of time and evoke the drama’s elegiac mode.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 30 July 2021
Sharp observations like these show us glimpses of the acidulous social satirist of Hollywood’s Golden Age.
—Washington Post, 28 Apr. 2021
Sourced from Provence, the purple plant is balanced out by acidulous Italian bergamot and spicy-sweet tonka bean.
—Lauren Valenti, Vogue, 6 June 2019
Dominic Green, WSJ, 11 Nov. 2022
Ray collaborated with the cinematographer Harry Stradling to create a screeching, acidulous palette of yellows, reds, and greens that stand out all the more against Ray’s calculated array of black-and-white outfits.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2022
His tangy, off-kilter visual compositions, rendered in an acidulous, sun-washed Kodachrome palette, convey a sense of spontaneous wonder and enthusiasm and lend daily conversations and activities a distinctive cinematic identity.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 23 June 2022
Here, Mankiewicz, working for the first time in color—in a palette on the edge of the alluring and the acidulous—relies on a determinedly moving camera to convey the passage of time and evoke the drama’s elegiac mode.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 30 July 2021
Sharp observations like these show us glimpses of the acidulous social satirist of Hollywood’s Golden Age.
—Washington Post, 28 Apr. 2021
Sourced from Provence, the purple plant is balanced out by acidulous Italian bergamot and spicy-sweet tonka bean.
—Lauren Valenti, Vogue, 6 June 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for acidulous
Adjective
-
Rowling frequently posts acidic commentary about trans people, and very rarely about the upcoming Harry Potter series (oddly enough, Rowling still publishes crime fiction under her male pseudonym, Robert Galbraith).—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2025
-
Rainfall leaches elements that impart alkalinity, such as magnesium and calcium, out of the soil, rendering it acidic.—
Joshua Siskin,
Oc Register,
28 June 2025
Adjective
-
Teaming up with Rebels like the enigmatic Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) and the sarcastic droid K-2SO (Alan Tudyk), Jyn’s quest for salvation and redemption runs right up to the beginning of the original film, Star Wars: A New Hope.—
Mekishana Pierre,
EW.com,
26 June 2025
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Mamdani joined her for a sarcastic infomercial on her account, criticizing Mayor Adams’ record.—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
26 June 2025
Adjective
-
The floors are done in chestnut-toned wood, with acid green carpets made from bamboo silk, while the VVIP suite has its own private sitting room.—
Samantha Conti,
Footwear News,
11 June 2025
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Fluoride also replaces minerals lost from teeth due to acid breakdown, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.—
Mary Kekatos,
ABC News,
3 June 2025
Adjective
-
The poem is part love quest, part account of Italy’s battles; in places profoundly serious, in places satiric.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
11 June 2025
-
Neither damning nor satiric, W. is oddly wistful, almost regretful — rare sentiments in a Stone film.—
Will Leitch,
Vulture,
17 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The group of inmates escaped by yanking open a faulty cell door, removing a toilet, crawling through a hole in the wall behind it and scaling a barbed wire fence in the early morning hours.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
27 June 2025
-
Louisiana Attorney General's Office via AP The group of inmates escaped by yanking open a faulty cell door, removing a toilet, crawling through a hole and scaling a barbed wire fence in the early morning hours when a lone guard left to get food.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
9 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Acidulous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/acidulous. Accessed 11 Jul. 2025.
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