acrid

American  

[ak-rid] / ˈæk rɪd /

adjective

1. sharp or biting to the taste or smell; bitterly pungent; irritating to the eyes, nose, etc..

   acrid smoke from burning rubber.

2. extremely or sharply stinging or bitter; exceedingly caustic.

   acrid remarks.

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acrid British  

/ əˈkrɪdɪtɪ, ˈækrɪd /

adjective

1. unpleasantly pungent or sharp to the smell or taste

2. sharp or caustic, esp in speech or nature

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Other Word Forms

• acridity noun
• acridly adverb
• acridness noun
• subacrid adjective
• subacridity noun
• subacridly adverb
• subacridness noun

Etymology

Origin of acrid

1705–15; < Latin ācr- (stem of ācer ) sharp, sour + -id ⁴, perhaps through influence of acid

Example Sentences

Inside, I’m greeted with the tired smell of old, pent-up, sick-people air, combined with the acrid smell of too much antiseptic.

From Literature

Cold flowed from it: an acrid uprush of air like the breath of some ancient creature that has never seen the sun.

From Literature

I could barely see her; the air around us was acrid and thick.

From Literature

From the jet fuel used in bombing raids to acrid smoke from burning oil depots, the conflict in the Middle East is inflicting a significant toll on nature and the climate.

From Barron's

Flames wrapped around it, curling from the top to its underside, then going higher and filling the air with acrid, black smoke.

From Literature

Related Words

• pungent
• stinging