vitriol

noun

ˈvi-trē-əl How to pronounce vitriol (audio)
Definition of vitriolnext
1
as in bitterness
biting sharpness of feeling or expression a film critic noted for the vitriol and sometimes outright cruelty of his pronouncements

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in abuse
harsh insulting language the review was more than just unfavorable—it was loaded with vitriol

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of vitriol Ahmed attributes the durability of anti-sharia vitriol to politicians and social-media influencers who want to rile up their voting base or their followers. — David Crary, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026 Of course, Kraft can simply ignore the vitriol and return to caring about the Patriots’ season — being a billionaire does have many advantages. — Sean Woods, Rolling Stone, 16 Sep. 2026 Between these encounters Faye deals with vitriol from her cranky downstairs neighbors. — René Ostberg, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Sep. 2026 The Giants’ collective vitriol began in the third with Blade Tidwell’s 1-2 four-seam fastball to the Diamondbacks’ Lars Nootbarr, who already homered on the first pitch of the game. — Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 29 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for vitriol
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vitriol
  1. bitterness
  2. abuse
  3. hostility
  4. invective
  5. bile
  6. insult
  7. severity
  8. vituperation
Noun
  • But few, if any, can match the tradition, scale, and bitterness of the yearly clash between Alabama and Tennessee on the third Saturday in October.
    — Austin Evans, Southern Living, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Written with a reporter’s sharp eye for detail and a remarkable lack of anger or bitterness, this is a compelling story of courage and grace.
    — Monitor reviewers, Christian Science Monitor, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of bitterness
Noun
  • Another man decided to report to police additional abuse by Moore, who was the man’s babysitter, after speaking with Hamilton in 2010, according to court records and Hamilton’s campaign.
    — Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Another 16% experienced discriminatory comments or abuse, while 10% experienced physical aggression.
    — Andrew Adam Newman, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of abuse
Noun
  • That does not mean that everyone who supports a ban is motivated by hostility toward women.
    — Jesse Rhodes, The Conversation, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Weil offers an extreme version of this hostility to the self.
    — James Wood, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of hostility
Noun
  • Alongside his criticisms of Britain, the Argentine president devoted some invective to the United Nations itself.
    — Adrienne Vogt, CNN Money, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Rather than Ole Miss run out alone and receive the invective, the Rebels waited for Arkansas to run out, then finally took the field.
    — Seth Emerson, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of invective
Noun
  • Stomach Bile In one sequence of the film, Jay finds himself in the whale’s stomach bile.
    — Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Her words are not of gratitude but resentment, bile and narcissism.
    — Deputy Managing Editor, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of bile
Noun
  • Try to remember that your teen’s eyes were focused squarely on the $100 prize and so this is an issue of overlooking rather than one of insult.
    — R. Eric Thomas, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Yet in a land where machismo still reigns, it’s considered a rather severe insult.
    — Jeanne Bonner, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of insult
Noun
  • But genuinely funny moments are rare, badly outnumbered by done-to-death musings regarding the mysteries of being alive and torturous melodramatic moments in which Klara dully absorbs the severity of Josie’s illness and Chrissy’s sorrow.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Gassman emphasized that the severity of coastal flooding will depend largely on weather conditions.
    — Ted Scouten, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of severity
Noun
  • As these things go, the tweet exposes Hotez to public vituperation on social media and possibly physical harm.
    — Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 6 June 2024
  • On March 12, Nickels tweeted a notice of a scientific conference in Washington at which Peter Daszak, the head of a research funding organization who has long been the target of vituperation by lab-leak advocates, would appear on a panel.
    — Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2024
Definition of vituperation

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vitrines
vitriol
vitriolic
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Cite this Entry

“Vitriol.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vitriol. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on vitriol

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about vitriol

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