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
-
Full sun, cool temperatures, and slightly acidic, fertile soil helps plants thrive.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
7 Aug. 2025
-
They’re housed in an acidic formulation, so as not to disturb the skin’s acid mantle (the outermost layer of the barrier), and deliver unmatched hydration and comfort to skin.—
Deanna Pai,
Vogue,
4 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
This is the kind of sarcastic humor that keeps the mood light throughout the 162-game marathon.—
Zach Pressnell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Aug. 2025
-
This perky, self-aware, sarcastic and downright silly show caters to both the more traditional Goodspeed audiences.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
14 July 2025
Adjective
-
From lo-fi hip-hop to chamber pop, from acid funk to orchestral rock, the fingerprints remain.—
Philip Martin,
Arkansas Online,
15 June 2025
-
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
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
-
Blood of My Blood doesn’t shy away from the violence and gore of this war — there is blood and guts and young men dying, there is poison gas and bodies on barbed wire.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
9 Aug. 2025
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Panthers will be stymied by 28,000 feet of barbed wire fencing.—
Elise Bennett,
The Orlando Sentinel,
3 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Acidulous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/acidulous. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
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