as in abusive
marked by harsh insulting language
braced himself for another vitriolic dressing-down by his perennially displeased father
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vitriolic
Adjective
-
The memoir describes the fallout of Lacey’s divorce from her emotionally abusive husband.—
Diana Arterian
June 20,
Literary Hub,
20 June 2025 -
The three bonded over the topic, sharing stories about abusive relationships from their past – either their own entanglements, or their friends’.—
Tom Roland,
Billboard,
18 June 2025
Adjective
-
Trump’s orders are insulting to state and local officials, but especially to the Marines.—
Tom Zirpoli,
Baltimore Sun,
17 June 2025
-
And to see the Russians playing a key role in the European Parliament is insulting to us and our struggle.—
Isabel van Brugen,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 June 2025
Adjective
-
The events this morning are outrageous and will have everlasting consequences.—
Jason Lemon,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 June 2025
-
My hair fell out, my mouth filled with sores, and the overnight fevers were outrageous.—
Noor Hassan,
Rolling Stone,
21 June 2025
Adjective
-
On Wednesday, the President faced a barrage of ominous developments that might have fazed another leader—a worrisome jobs report, losses in federal court related to four of his signature policies, an increasingly vituperative public breakup with Elon Musk.—
Susan B. Glasser,
New Yorker,
5 June 2025
-
Even before Trump took office, many scientists were reluctant to engage with the topic, for fear of being drawn into what has been a very public and vituperative debate.—
Daniel Engber,
The Atlantic,
20 May 2025
Adjective
-
Between the time the former Marine Soto was indicted in 2018 and sentenced in 2020, then-President Donald Trump offered up vitriolic invective to Mexican officials.—
Sean Campbell,
The Conversation,
23 May 2025
-
Decades later, almost identical invective pours from the mouth of Scott Rudin, infuriated after a manuscript goes to a competitor.—
Alexandra Jacobs,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
The ex-data processor for the Boston Transportation Department was previously convicted in Suffolk Superior Court of: rape of a child, assault to rape a child, indecent assault and battery on a child, disseminating obscene material to a minor, and possession of child pornography.—
Rick Sobey,
Boston Herald,
24 June 2025
-
But the legal standard for what qualifies as obscene is extremely high.—
Tiffani Jackson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 June 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Vitriolic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vitriolic. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share