acidulous

C2+ Topic:Register & Style
US /əˈsɪdjʊləs/
adj Freq #493439

Meanings

  1. 1
    adj

    Slightly sour; subacid; sourish.

    The hard, acidulous, metallic tincture of the spring.

  2. 2
    adj

    Sharp; caustic.

    He talked with acidulous tolerance of the exalted personages who had sent Ashenden to X.

  3. 3
    adj

    Containing carbonic acid.

    Acidulous mineral waters.

Thesaurus

Word family
Derived forms acidulouslyacidulousnessnonaciduloussubacidulous

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin acidulus (“sourish, acidulous”), diminutive of acidus (“sour, acid”). See acid. By surface analysis, acid + -ule + -ous.

Topics

markdown

Send feedback

Optional — only if you'd like a reply.