acrid

adjective

ac·​rid ˈa-krəd 

1

: sharp and harsh or unpleasantly pungent in taste or odor : irritating

acrid smoke

2

: deeply or violently bitter : acrimonious

an acrid denunciation

acridity

a-ˈkri-də-tē 

ə-

noun

acridly

ˈa-krəd-lē 

adverb

acridness noun

Did you know?

Acrid exactly fits the smoke from a fire—a burning building or forest, for example. Dense smog may cast an acrid pall over a city, making throats burn and eyes sting. But, like acid and acerbic, acrid sometimes also describes nonphysical things, such as the remarks of a bitter person.

Synonyms

• acrimonious
• bitter
• embittered
• hard
• rancorous
• resentful
• sore

Choose the Right Synonym for acrid

caustic, mordant, acrid, scathing mean stingingly incisive.

caustic suggests a biting wit.

caustic comments

mordant suggests a wit that is used with deadly effectiveness.

mordant reviews of the play

acrid implies bitterness and often malevolence.

acrid invective

scathing implies indignant attacks delivered with fierce severity.

a scathing satire

Examples of acrid in a Sentence

Thick, acrid smoke rose from the factory.

there have been acrid relations between the two families ever since they fought over that strip of land

Recent Examples on the Web

The smell of coffee and conchas at one food cart — and food cooked on a plancha at another — mingled with the lingering acrid smoke of the smoldering remains of the surrounding neighborhood. —Mel Buer, The Mercury News, 15 Jan. 2025

The sky was clear over Los Angeles on Tuesday, a welcome respite after acrid smoke from wildfires choked the region last week. —Amy Graff, New York Times, 15 Jan. 2025

My house was fine — lots of soot and ash, even inside, and the smell inside was acrid. —Katherine Turman, People.com, 12 Jan. 2025

Assigned to Joint Base Balad, one of the largest war zone U.S. installations, for a one-year hitch, Torres worked, ate, slept and exercised amid the acrid black smoke that billowed from the 10-acre burn pit fueled 24/7 by anything and everything that was disposable. —John C. Moritz, Austin American-Statesman, 1 Jan. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin ācr-, ācer "sharp, pungent, biting" + the English formative -id (as in acid entry 2); replacing acrious, from Latin ācer + -ious — more at acr-

First Known Use

1633, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

acrid

adjective

ac·​rid ˈak-rəd 

1

: biting or bitter in taste or odor

2

: bitterly irritating to the feelings

an acrid remark

acridly adverb

acridness noun

Medical Definition

acrid

adjective

ac·​rid ˈak-rəd 

: irritatingly sharp and harsh or unpleasantly pungent in taste or odor

acridly adverb