caustic C2+ Topic:Describing People US /ˈkɔstɪk/ UK /ˈkɔːstɪk/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 adj capable of burning or corroding; bitingly sarcastic Her caustic wit left no one in the room unscathed. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adj · capable of burning or... corrosiveburningbitingacidmordantscathingsarcasticcutting ↔ Opposites mildblandsoothinggentle Word family Derived forms causticallycausticity Related forms cauterizeholocaustencaustic Common collocations caustic remark Adjective + noun Etymology AI details From Latin causticus, from Greek kaustikos ('capable of burning'), from kaiein ('to burn'). kaustikos Ancient Greek kaiein Ancient Greek View etymology graph -> Topics Describing People Word Formation & Derivatives External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # caustic **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** adj **IPA (US):** /ˈkɔstɪk/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈkɔːstɪk/ ## Meanings 1. capable of burning or corroding; bitingly sarcastic ## Examples - Her caustic wit left no one in the room unscathed. ## Synonyms - corrosive - burning - biting - acid - mordant - scathing - sarcastic - cutting ## Antonyms - mild - bland - soothing - gentle ## Derived Forms - caustically - causticity ## Related Forms - cauterize - holocaust - encaustic ## Roots and Affixes - Root: kaustikos - Root: kaiein ## Etymology From Latin causticus, from Greek kaustikos ('capable of burning'), from kaiein ('to burn'). ## AI Etymology Caustic comes from Latin causticus, from Greek kaustikos ('capable of burning'), from kaiein ('to burn'). The historical trail runs through kaustikos in Ancient Greek and kaiein in Ancient Greek. Used as an adjective and noun, caustic now means "capable of burning or corroding; bitingly sarcastic", so the present definition can be read against the older forms and meanings. The same lexical family is also visible in derived forms such as caustically and causticity and related forms such as cauterize, holocaust, and encaustic. The result is a borrowed or transmitted form whose modern spelling carries a compact record of its route into English. ## Topics - Describing People - Word Formation & Derivatives markdown