acrid

C1 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈæk.ɹɪd/ UK /ˈæk.ɹɪd/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

adj
having an irritatingly strong and unpleasant taste or smell

The acrid smell of burning rubber filled the air.
2

adj
angry and bitter in tone or manner

Their acrid dispute left a lasting tension in the room.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · having an irritatingly... bitter pungent sharp sour harsh

2 adj · angry and bitter in tone or... caustic biting cutting scathing sarcastic

Opposites

sweet mild pleasant fragrant

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

acrid odor
a harsh, unpleasant smell that irritates the nose or throat

Adjective + noun

Simplified etymology

Acrid entered English in the mid-17th century from Latin acer, meaning “sharp” or “pungent.” Its spelling was influenced by acid, a related word associated with sourness.

Etymology

From Latin acri- ('sharp, pungent') plus the adjective suffix -idus, on the model of Latin acridus ('sharp, bitter'), giving Modern English acrid ('sharp, bitter').

Topics

Describing Qualities

External links

# acrid

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ˈæk.ɹɪd/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈæk.ɹɪd/

## Meanings
1. having an irritatingly strong and unpleasant taste or smell
2. angry and bitter in tone or manner

## Examples
- The acrid smell of burning rubber filled the air.
- Their acrid dispute left a lasting tension in the room.

## Synonyms
- bitter
- pungent
- sharp
- sour
- harsh
- caustic
- biting
- cutting
- scathing
- sarcastic

## Antonyms
- sweet
- mild
- pleasant
- fragrant

## Etymology
From Latin acri- ('sharp, pungent') plus the adjective suffix -idus, on the model of Latin acridus ('sharp, bitter'), giving Modern English acrid ('sharp, bitter').

## AI Etymology
Acrid comes from Latin acri- ('sharp, pungent') plus the adjective suffix -idus, on the model of Latin acridus ('sharp, bitter'), giving Modern English acrid ('sharp, bitter'). In current use it is an adjective meaning "having an irritatingly strong and unpleasant taste or smell". That sense is explained by the older material without requiring a speculative semantic step: the inherited or borrowed base supplies the field of meaning, while the English formation fixes its modern role. The surface form is compositional: its joined elements remain visible in the modern word. The word's history is thus visible in its construction: the components remain interpretable even after the whole expression has settled into a conventional English meaning.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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