acidic
/əˈsɪdɪk
/adjective
1Having the properties of an acid, or containing acid; having a pH below 7: a cocktail of acidic pollutants...Often contrasted with alkaline and basic.
- When this compound is dissolved in water, an acidic solution of hydrogen cyanide, also known as prussic acid, is produced.
- A method called scrubbing is used to chemically remove the acidic sulfur dioxide by putting it into contact with calcium carbonate which is a base.
- Chemical behavior, such as the acidic or basic properties of oxides, is also periodic.
2Sharp-tasting or sour: acidic wine...
- But it did come with a really perky blueberry chutney and suitably acidic sour dough toast.
- Slightly acidic white wines, such as Sauvignon or Muscadet, are best suited to salads (which also have high acidity) or oily dishes (which help soften the acidity in the wine).
- Dunking bread and vegetables into the pot, we soon felt very full and needed the slightly acidic wine to cut through the wall of gruyère and Emmental that was forming around our arteries.
2.1(Of a person’s remarks or tone) bitter or cutting: the occasional acidic comment...
- When he is in gadfly mode, as in this new study, he entertains and enlightens about writers including Kant and Ruskin (reserving an especially acidic tone for Jeannette Winterson).
- His tone is tauntingly acidic, his expression world-weary but capable of mischievous reigniting; his hands keep taking off on a little dance of impatience and deprecation.
- ‘Next time you want to drag me along on one of your nature walks, take ten seconds to tell me where we're going, okay,’ Dawn said with an acidic tone.
2.2(Of a colour) strikingly intense or bright: an acidic yellow...
- His earlier, less subdued works contained elements of vibrant oranges and reds, acidic greens, bright pinks and yellows.
- Color, often manipulated and used to painterly effect, is an important element in all of these works, with hues ranging from acidic yellows and oranges to stormy blues and greens.
- Bright, acidic colors have always been warning colors.
3 Geology (Of rock, especially lava) relatively rich in silica: acidic granite batholiths...
- Associated with these intrusions were outpourings of andesitic and more acidic lavas and fine ashes.
- The mountains show a relief with extensive outcropping of Precambrian, acidic rocks.
- Porphyritic acidic volcanic rocks are widespread and referred to a calc-alkaline suite from an active margin setting.
3.1 Metallurgy Relating to or denoting steel-making processes involving silica-rich refractories and slags: acidic slag...
- The latter represented a well-designed mixture of granulated acidic slag and flotation sterile material.
- If molten steel is deoxidized and refined without addition of a strong deoxidizer, in presence of acidic slag or uncovered with slag in the open air, deoxidization of the molten steel is insufficient.
