vitriolic

vitriolic
    adj 1: 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}]
    2: of a substance, especially a strong acid; capable of
       destroying or eating away by chemical action [syn: {caustic},
       {corrosive}, {erosive}, {vitriolic}, {mordant}]
    

Vitriolic \Vit`ri*ol"ic\, a. [Cf. F. vitriolique.]
   1. (Chem.) Of or pertaining to vitriol; derived from, or
      resembling, vitriol; vitriolous; as, a vitriolic taste.
      Cf. {Vitriol}.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. Biting, bitter or caustic; having or expressing strong and
      unpleasantly negative feelings; -- of speech or feelings;
      the vitriolic denunciations of opponents by partisan
      columnists.
      [PJC]

   {Vitriolic acid} (Old Chem.),
      (a) sulphuric acid. See {Vitriol}
      (b) . [Colloq.]
          [1913 Webster]
    

64 Moby Thesaurus words for "vitriolic":
      acerbic, acid, acidulous, acrid, acrimonious, antagonistic,
      antipathetic, asperous, astringent, belligerent, biting, bitter,
      caustic, clashing, colliding, conflicting, cutting, despiteful,
      double-edged, edged, envenomed, escharotic, fierce, full of hate,
      harsh, hateful, hostile, incisive, irritating, keen, malevolent,
      malicious, malignant, mordacious, mordant, nose-tickling,
      penetrating, piercing, piquant, poignant, pungent, quarrelsome,
      rancorous, repugnant, rigorous, rough, scathing, set against,
      severe, sharp, sore, sour, spiteful, stabbing, stinging, strident,
      stringent, tart, trenchant, vehement, venenate, venomous, violent,
      virulent