caustic
Other forms: caustics
Use the adjective caustic to describe any chemical that is able to burn living tissue or other substances, or, figuratively, a statement that has a similarly burning effect. Caustic in this sense means harshly critical.
In the chemical sense, a near synonym is corrosive. In the figurative sense, near synonyms are biting, scathing, and sarcastic. The source of the word caustic is Latin causticus, from Greek kaustikos, from kaiein "to burn."
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of a substance, especially a strong acid; capable of destroying or eating away by chemical actiondestructivecausing destruction or much damage
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harsh or corrosive in tone“caustic jokes about political assassination, talk-show hosts and medical ethics”synonyms: acerb, acerbic, acid, acrid, astringent, bitter, blistering, sulfurous, sulphurous, virulent, vitriolicunpleasantdisagreeable to the senses, to the mind, or feelings
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any chemical substance that burns or destroys living tissuetypes:lyea strong solution of sodium or potassium hydroxidesilver nitratea nitrate used in making photographic emulsions; also used in medicine as a cautery and as a topical antibacterial agentcaustic potash, potash, potassium hydroxidea potassium compound often used in agriculture and industrylunar causticsilver nitrate fused into sticks and formerly used as a causticcaustic soda, sodium hydroxidea strongly alkaline caustic used in manufacturing soap and paper and aluminum and various sodium compoundstype of:chemical compound, compound(chemistry) a substance formed by chemical union of two or more elements or ingredients in definite proportion by weight
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Vocabulary lists containing caustic
On the SAT, all of the Reading Test questions are multiple choice and are based on reading passages that may be taken from literature, science, the social sciences, or a U.S. founding document (or a text inspired by such a document). Many of the reading comprehension questions meant to assess a student’s understanding of those passages will require students to choose words that best describe the writer’s tone or point of view, words like the 25 words you see on this list. Learn them here so when you see them in an SAT answer choice, you’ll know what they mean! Following our Roadmap to the SAT? Head back to see what else you should be learning this week.
On the New SAT, all of the Reading Test questions are multiple choice and are based on reading passages that may be taken from literature, science, the social sciences, or a US founding document (or a text inspired by such a document). Many of the reading comprehension questions meant to assess a student’s understanding of those passages will require students to choose words that best describe the writer’s tone or point of view, words like the 200 words you see on this list. Learn them here so when you see them in an SAT answer choice, you’ll know what they mean! Here are all of our word lists to help you prepare for the new SAT (debuting March of 2016): The Language of the Test, Multiple-Meaning Words, and Words to Capture Tone.