(adj) harsh or corrosive in tone, Syn. vitriolic, sulfurous, acid, bitter, blistering, acerbic, virulent, caustic, acrid, sulphurous, Example:an acerbic tone piercing otherwise flowery prose; a barrage of acid comments; her acrid remarks make her many enemies; bitter words; blistering criticism; caustic jokes about political assassination, talk-show hosts and medical ethics; a sulfurous denunciation; a vitriolic critique