'Caustic' definitions:
Definition of 'caustic'
(from WordNet)
adjective
Harsh or corrosive in tone; "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" [syn: acerb, acerbic, acid, acrid, bitter, blistering, caustic, sulfurous, sulphurous, virulent, vitriolic]
adjective
Of a substance, especially a strong acid; capable of destroying or eating away by chemical action [syn: caustic, corrosive, erosive, vitriolic, mordant]
noun
Any chemical substance that burns or destroys living tissue
Definition of 'Caustic'
From: GCIDE
- Caustic \Cau"stic\, n. [L. causticum (sc. medicamentum). See Caustic, a.]
- 1. Any substance or means which, applied to animal or other organic tissue, burns, corrodes, or destroys it by chemical action; an escharotic. [1913 Webster]
- 2. (Optics) A caustic curve or caustic surface. [1913 Webster]
Definition of 'Caustic'
From: GCIDE
- Caustic \Caus"tic\, Caustical \Caus"tic*al\, a. [L. caustucs, Ge. ?, fr. ? to burn. Cf. Calm, Ink.]
- 1. Capable of destroying the texture of anything or eating away its substance by chemical action; burning; corrosive; searing. [1913 Webster]
- 2. Severe; satirical; sharp; as, a caustic remark. [1913 Webster]
- Caustic curve (Optics), a curve to which the ray of light, reflected or refracted by another curve, are tangents, the reflecting or refracting curve and the luminous point being in one plane.
- Caustic lime. See under Lime.
- Caustic potash, Caustic soda (Chem.), the solid hydroxides potash, KOH, and soda, NaOH, or solutions of the same.
- Caustic silver, nitrate of silver, lunar caustic.
- Caustic surface (Optics), a surface to which rays reflected or refracted by another surface are tangents. Caustic curves and surfaces are called catacaustic when formed by reflection, and diacaustic when formed by refraction.
- Syn: Stinging; cutting; pungent; searching. [1913 Webster]
Synonyms of 'caustic'
From: Moby Thesaurus
- acerb,
- acerbate,
- acerbic,
- acid,
- acidic,
- acidulent,
- acidulous,
- acrid,
- acrimonious,
- actual cautery,
- acute,
- amaroidal,
- angry,
- antagonistic,
- antipathetic,
- arc,
- asperous,
- astringent,
- belligerent,
- biting,
- bitter,
- bitter as gall,
- bow,
- brand,
- brand iron,
- branding iron,
- brisk,
- burning,
- catacaustic,
- catenary,
- cauter,
- cauterant,
- cauterizer,
- cautery,
- choleric,
- circle,
- clashing,
- coarse,
- colliding,
- conchoid,
- conflicting,
- corroding,
- corrosive,
- crisp,
- critical,
- crook,
- curl,
- curve,
- cutting,
- cynical,
- despiteful,
- destructive,
- diacaustic,
- discontented,
- double-edged,
- dry,
- edged,
- electrocautery,
- ellipse,
- embittered,
- escharotic,
- feeling evil,
- festoon,
- fierce,
- full of hate,
- hard,
- harsh,
- hateful,
- hook,
- hostile,
- hot iron,
- hyperbola,
- incisive,
- ironic,
- irritating,
- keen,
- lituus,
- lunar caustic,
- malevolent,
- malicious,
- malignant,
- mordacious,
- mordant,
- moxa,
- nose-tickling,
- out of humor,
- out of sorts,
- out of temper,
- parabola,
- penetrating,
- piercing,
- piquant,
- pithy,
- poignant,
- potential cautery,
- pungent,
- quarrelsome,
- Rabelaisian,
- radium,
- rancorous,
- rankled,
- repugnant,
- resentful,
- resenting,
- rigorous,
- rough,
- salty,
- sarcastic,
- sardonic,
- satiric,
- scathing,
- scorching,
- set against,
- severe,
- sharp,
- sinus,
- sore,
- sour,
- spiteful,
- splenetic,
- stabbing,
- stewing,
- stinging,
- strident,
- stringent,
- succinct,
- tart,
- terse,
- tracery,
- trenchant,
- vehement,
- venomous,
- violent,
- virulent,
- vitriolic,
- withering