caustic

1 of 2

adjective

caus·tic ˈkȯ-stik How to pronounce caustic (audio)

: capable of destroying or eating away by chemical action : corrosive

The chemical was so caustic that it ate through the pipe.

: marked by incisive sarcasm

a caustic film review

caustic humor

: relating to or being the surface or curve of a caustic (see caustic entry 2 sense 2)

caustically

ˈkȯ-sti-k(ə-)lē How to pronounce caustic (audio)

adverb

causticity

kȯ-ˈsti-sə-tē How to pronounce caustic (audio)

noun

caustic

2 of 2

noun

: a caustic agent: such as

: a substance that burns or destroys organic tissue by chemical action

: a strong corrosive alkali (such as sodium hydroxide)

: the envelope of rays emanating from a point and reflected or refracted by a curved surface

Did you know?

If you have a burning desire to know the origins of caustic, you're already well on the way to figuring it out. Caustic was borrowed into English in the 14th century from the Latin causticus, which itself derives from the Greek kaustikos. Kaustikos, in turn, comes from the Greek verb kaiein, meaning "to burn." Other kaiein descendants in English include cautery and cauterize, causalgia (a burning pain caused by nerve damage), and encaustic (a kind of paint that is heated after it's applied).

Example Sentences

Adjective His [Roosevelt's] caustic cousin, Alice Roosevelt Longworth, called him a sissy and a mama's boy.

Garry Wills, Atlantic, April 1994 It was Schuyler's gift for satire and his caustic wit that distinguished his writings and led to his nickname, the Black Mencken.

Henry Louis Gates, Jr., New York Times Book Review, 20 Sept. 1992 Albert quailed before those caustic pronouncements, he shuddered and blanched and felt his stomach drop like a croquette into a vat of hot grease.

T. Coraghessan Boyle, Harper's, October 1987 The chemical was so caustic that it ate through the pipes. She wrote a caustic report about the decisions that led to the crisis.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Befitting of its title, the caustic novel is an archly acidic look at the celebrity death industrial complex and all those who seek to seize the narrative—and the spotlight—in the wake of a famous person’s death.

Chloe Schama, Vogue, 14 Sep. 2022 But Godard was also a caustic and hilarious satirist, filling his movies with scores of puns, witticisms and plain old slapstick.

Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Sep. 2022 At its worst, between the 1950s and 1980s, the caustic haze was so thick that people could see only as far as a city block.

Hayley Smith, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2022 As that sometimes caustic relationship plays out, one alderman has moved to abolish her automatic property tax increase.

John Byrne, Chicago Tribune, 1 Sep. 2022 Perhaps when they were pressed on the paper, along with the slightly caustic ink, some atomic evidence that would reveal what they were made of was rubbed off too.

Gregory Barber, WIRED, 29 Aug. 2022 An inflamed cornea was treated with caustic applications and the pain assuaged with opium.

Fitz Hugh Ludlow, Harper’s Magazine , 17 Aug. 2022 Humiliated politicians tried to pass a law banning caustic caricatures.

oregonlive, 30 July 2022 In 2008, Gableman, then a circuit-court judge in northern Wisconsin, defeated Louis Butler, the state’s first Black Supreme Court justice, after running a caustic, expensive campaign, which ushered in a new era in the state’s politics.

Dan Kaufman, The New Yorker, 25 July 2022

Noun

What McHugh favored was the fantastic, the caustic, the nakedly human, art with an irreverent or whimsical sense of humor, and art with little remove from raw physicality.

Leah Ollman, latimes.com, 3 July 2018 The Sympathizer is the caustic, hyper-verbal tale of a double agent embedded in California after the end of the war, sending information back to Vietnam about the activities of the men who are both his friends and enemies.

Josephine Livingstone, New Republic, 25 July 2017 Mr. Trump’s other mentor was the caustic and conniving McCarthy-era lawyer Roy Cohn, who counseled Mr. Trump never to give in or concede error.

Glenn Thrush And Maggie Haberman, New York Times, 21 Mar. 2017 See More

caustic

adjective

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

Relevance

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Synonym Chooser

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

caustic comments

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

acrid invective

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

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

a scathing satire

单词	caustic
释义	caustic 1 of 2 adjective caus·tic ˈkȯ-stik 1 : capable of destroying or eating away by chemical action : corrosive The chemical was so caustic that it ate through the pipe. 2 : marked by incisive sarcasm a caustic film review caustic humor 3 : relating to or being the surface or curve of a caustic (see caustic entry 2 sense 2) caustically ˈkȯ-sti-k(ə-)lē adverb causticity kȯ-ˈsti-sə-tē noun caustic 2 of 2 noun 1 : a caustic agent: such as a : a substance that burns or destroys organic tissue by chemical action b : a strong corrosive alkali (such as sodium hydroxide) 2 : the envelope of rays emanating from a point and reflected or refracted by a curved surface Did you know? If you have a burning desire to know the origins of caustic, you're already well on the way to figuring it out. Caustic was borrowed into English in the 14th century from the Latin causticus, which itself derives from the Greek kaustikos. Kaustikos, in turn, comes from the Greek verb kaiein, meaning "to burn." Other kaiein descendants in English include cautery and cauterize, causalgia (a burning pain caused by nerve damage), and encaustic (a kind of paint that is heated after it's applied). Synonyms Adjective acerb acerbic acid acidic acidulous acrid barbed biting corrosive cutting mordant pungent sarcastic sardonic satiric satirical scalding scathing sharp smart-aleck smart-alecky smart-mouthed snarky tart See all Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Adjective His [Roosevelt's] caustic cousin, Alice Roosevelt Longworth, called him a sissy and a mama's boy. Garry Wills, Atlantic, April 1994 It was Schuyler's gift for satire and his caustic wit that distinguished his writings and led to his nickname, the Black Mencken. Henry Louis Gates, Jr., New York Times Book Review, 20 Sept. 1992 Albert quailed before those caustic pronouncements, he shuddered and blanched and felt his stomach drop like a croquette into a vat of hot grease. T. Coraghessan Boyle, Harper's, October 1987 The chemical was so caustic that it ate through the pipes. She wrote a caustic report about the decisions that led to the crisis. Recent Examples on the Web Adjective Befitting of its title, the caustic novel is an archly acidic look at the celebrity death industrial complex and all those who seek to seize the narrative—and the spotlight—in the wake of a famous person’s death. Chloe Schama, Vogue, 14 Sep. 2022 But Godard was also a caustic and hilarious satirist, filling his movies with scores of puns, witticisms and plain old slapstick. Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Sep. 2022 At its worst, between the 1950s and 1980s, the caustic haze was so thick that people could see only as far as a city block. Hayley Smith, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2022 As that sometimes caustic relationship plays out, one alderman has moved to abolish her automatic property tax increase. John Byrne, Chicago Tribune, 1 Sep. 2022 Perhaps when they were pressed on the paper, along with the slightly caustic ink, some atomic evidence that would reveal what they were made of was rubbed off too. Gregory Barber, WIRED, 29 Aug. 2022 An inflamed cornea was treated with caustic applications and the pain assuaged with opium. Fitz Hugh Ludlow, Harper’s Magazine , 17 Aug. 2022 Humiliated politicians tried to pass a law banning caustic caricatures. oregonlive, 30 July 2022 In 2008, Gableman, then a circuit-court judge in northern Wisconsin, defeated Louis Butler, the state’s first Black Supreme Court justice, after running a caustic, expensive campaign, which ushered in a new era in the state’s politics. Dan Kaufman, The New Yorker, 25 July 2022 Noun What McHugh favored was the fantastic, the caustic, the nakedly human, art with an irreverent or whimsical sense of humor, and art with little remove from raw physicality. Leah Ollman, latimes.com, 3 July 2018 The Sympathizer is the caustic, hyper-verbal tale of a double agent embedded in California after the end of the war, sending information back to Vietnam about the activities of the men who are both his friends and enemies. Josephine Livingstone, New Republic, 25 July 2017 Mr. Trump’s other mentor was the caustic and conniving McCarthy-era lawyer Roy Cohn, who counseled Mr. Trump never to give in or concede error. Glenn Thrush And Maggie Haberman, New York Times, 21 Mar. 2017 See More Word History Etymology Adjective and Noun Latin causticus, from Greek kaustikos, from kaiein to burn First Known Use Adjective 14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1 Noun 15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1 Phrases Containing caustic caustic soda lunar caustic caustic potash caustic soda lunar caustic caustic potash Kids Definition caustic adjective caus·tic ˈkȯ-stik 1 : capable of eating away by chemical action : corrosive 2 : very harsh and critical caustic remarks Medical Definition caustic 1 of 2 adjective caus·tic ˈkȯ-stik : capable of destroying or eating away organic tissue and especially animal tissue by chemical action silver nitrate and sulfuric acid are caustic agents caustic 2 of 2 noun : a caustic agent: as a : a substance that burns or destroys organic tissue by chemical action : escharotic b : a strong corrosive alkali (as sodium hydroxide) caustic adjective 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 Relevance sarcastic satiric acidic satirical acid corrosive barbed acerbic sardonic acrid mordant scathing pungent biting snarky scalding acidulous cutting cynical sharp tart ironic harsh acerb sour smart-alecky blunt smart-aleck smart-mouthed ironical incisive spiky trenchant wry flippant dry vitriolic poignant concise severe acrimonious cross brisk facetious sharp-tongued bitter sourish brusque gruff pithy abrupt curt resentful spikey stringent tartish terse tongue-in-cheek succinct snippy keen insincere crisp rough backhanded brusk snippety Antonyms & Near Antonyms amusing playful mild gentle waggish merry droll bland sportive diplomatic urbane polite good-natured smooth good-humored suave cordial genial hospitable affable gracious sociable See More Synonym Chooser Some common synonyms of caustic are acrid, mordant, and scathing. While all these words mean "stingingly incisive," caustic suggests a biting wit. caustic comments While the synonyms acrid and caustic are close in meaning, acrid implies bitterness and often malevolence. acrid invective 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 Although the words scathing and caustic have much in common, scathing implies indignant attacks delivered with fierce severity. a scathing satire
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caustic

adjective

noun

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Synonyms

Example Sentences

Word History

Phrases Containing caustic

Kids Definition

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Medical Definition

adjective

noun

adjective

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