Search Result for "acerb": 
Wordnet 3.0

ADJECTIVE (2)

1. sour or bitter in taste;
[syn: acerb, acerbic, astringent]

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



The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Acerb \A*cerb"\, a. [L. acerbus, fr. acer sharp: cf. F. acerbe.
   See Acrid.]
   Sour, bitter, and harsh to the taste, as unripe fruit; sharp
   and harsh.
   [1913 Webster]


WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

acerb
    adj 1: sour or bitter in taste [syn: acerb, acerbic,
           astringent]
    2: 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]