Synonyms of caustic

caustic

adjective

ˈkȯ-stik 

as in sarcastic

marked by the use of wit that is intended to cause hurt feelings

caustic movie reviews that serve mainly to show how clever the reviewer is

Synonyms & Similar Words

• sarcastic
• satiric
• acidic
• acid
• barbed
• corrosive
• acerbic
• sardonic
• biting
• acrid
• scathing
• pungent
• mordant
• cynical
• acidulous
• sharp
• ironic
• tart
• cutting
• snarky
• harsh
• scalding
• smart-aleck
• acerb
• smart-alecky
• blunt
• sour
• smart-mouthed
• concise
• incisive
• dry
• spiky
• trenchant
• poignant
• wry
• severe
• flippant
• cross
• brisk
• vitriolic
• acrimonious
• facetious
• bitter
• sharp-tongued
• gruff
• abrupt
• sourish
• resentful
• brusque
• pithy
• stringent
• curt
• keen
• tongue-in-cheek
• succinct
• tartish
• terse
• insincere
• crisp
• snippy
• rough
• backhanded
• snippety

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• amusing
• playful
• mild
• gentle
• merry
• bland
• droll
• waggish
• diplomatic
• sportive
• smooth
• polite
• urbane
• good-natured
• cordial
• hospitable
• gracious
• genial
• good-humored
• affable
• sociable
• suave

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective caustic contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of caustic are acrid, mordant, and scathing. While all these words mean "stingingly incisive," caustic suggests a biting wit.

caustic comments

When is acrid a more appropriate choice than caustic?

While the synonyms acrid and caustic are close in meaning, acrid implies bitterness and often malevolence.

acrid invective

In what contexts can mordant take the place of caustic?

In some situations, the words mordant and caustic are roughly equivalent. However, mordant suggests a wit that is used with deadly effectiveness.

mordant reviews of the play

When might scathing be a better fit than caustic?

Although the words scathing and caustic have much in common, scathing implies indignant attacks delivered with fierce severity.

a scathing satire

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of caustic

Rohmer’s caustic cynicism Conversely, a filmmaker of the French New Wave who has seen his stock rise during the last few years is Eric Rohmer, championed by Noah Baumbach among others. — Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 26 June 2026

Beyond his infamously relentless rate of output (and all the frequent rebrandings and extracurricular pursuits he’s initiated along the way), Dwyer’s music is actually becoming more caustic and confrontational as time goes on. — Stuart Berman, Pitchfork, 18 June 2026

The press was its usual caustic self this weekend, filled with talk about delusional investors who will have a hard lesson to learn. — Jim Cramer, CNBC, 14 June 2026

Also, caustic chemicals such as muriatic acid should be in plastic since a bottle of such substances could have very bad results. — Chicago Tribune, 6 June 2026

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