vitriol

/ˈvɪtriəl/

Other forms: vitriols; vitrioled

Vitriol is harsh, nasty criticism. You may have deserved some blame when the cake didn't rise, but the head chef's stream of vitriol was unnecessary.

Back in the day, vitriol was the name for sulfuric acid, which burns through just about anything. So think of vitriol as language so mean-spirited and bitter that it could eat through metal: "As a divorce lawyer, you were familiar with vitriol, but nothing prepared you for the time you wore a Red Sox cap at Yankee Stadium."

Definitions of vitriol

1. noun

   abusive or venomous language used to express blame or censure or bitter deep-seated ill will
   synonyms: invective, vituperation

   type of:

   abuse, contumely, insult, revilement, vilification

   a rude expression intended to offend or hurt
2. verb

   subject to bitter verbal abuse
   type of:

   assail, assault, attack, lash out, round, snipe

   attack in speech or writing
3. noun

   (H2SO4) a highly corrosive acid made from sulfur dioxide; widely used in the chemical industry
   synonyms: oil of vitriol, sulfuric acid, sulphuric acid

   types:

   battery acid, electrolyte acid

   dilute sulfuric acid used in storage batteries

   type of:

   acid

   any of various water-soluble compounds having a sour taste and capable of turning litmus red and reacting with a base to form a salt
4. verb

   expose to the effects of vitriol or injure with vitriol
   type of:

   subject

   cause to experience or suffer or make liable or vulnerable to