Caustic — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

any chemical substance that burns or destroys living tissue

harsh or corrosive in tone

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/kɑːzmˈɑːmətɹi/

🇬🇧British English

/klɔːrhˈaɪdɹɪk/

🇮🇳Indian English

/klɔːrhˈaɪdɹɪk/

2 syllables Say it as /kɑːzmˈɑːmətɹi/.

Examples

an acerbic tone piercing otherwise flowery prose
a barrage of acid comments
her acrid remarks make her many enemies

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

acrid sulfurous acerb erosive corrosive blistering sulphurous mordant acid virulent acerbic bitter vitriolic

Parts of Speech

noun	any chemical substance that burns or destroys living tissue
adjective	harsh or corrosive in tone “an acerbic tone piercing otherwise flowery prose”
adjective	of a substance, especially a strong acid; capable of destroying or eating away by chemical action

Word Forms

caustic	adjective	of a substance, especially a strong acid; capable of destroying or eating away by chemical action
acerbity	noun	a rough and bitter manner
acridness	noun	the quality of being sharply disagreeable in language or tone
acridity	noun	the quality of being sharply disagreeable in language or tone
bitterness	noun	a rough and bitter manner
virulency	noun	extreme hostility
virulence	noun	extreme hostility
vitriol	noun	abusive or venomous language used to express blame or censure or bitter deep-seated ill will
caustic	noun	any chemical substance that burns or destroys living tissue
corrosive	noun	a substance having the tendency to cause corrosion (such a strong acids or alkali)
corrode	verb	cause to deteriorate due to the action of water, air, or an acid
erode	verb	become ground down or deteriorate
mordant	noun	a substance used to treat leather or other materials before dyeing; aids in dyeing process

Around the World

Europe

🇩🇪German

ätzend

jede chemische Substanz, die lebendes Gewebe verbrennt oder zerstört

🇫🇷French

caustique

toute substance chimique qui brûle ou détruit les tissus vivants

🇪🇸Spanish

cáustico

cualquier sustancia química que quema o destruye el tejido vivo

🇮🇹Italian

caustico

qualsiasi sostanza chimica che brucia o distrugge i tessuti viventi

🇳🇱Dutch

bijtend

elke chemische stof die levend weefsel verbrandt of vernietigt

🇵🇹Portuguese

cáustico

qualquer substância química que queime ou destrua tecidos vivos

🇷🇺Russian

едкий

любое химическое вещество, которое сжигает или разрушает живую ткань

India

🇮🇳Hindi

काटू

कोई भी रासायनिक पदार्थ जो जीवित ऊतक को जलाता या नष्ट करता है

🇧🇩Bengali

কস্টিক

কোন রাসায়নিক পদার্থ যা জীবন্ত টিস্যু পোড়া বা ধ্বংস করে

🇮🇳Tamil

காஸ்டிக்

உயிருள்ள திசுக்களை எரிக்கும் அல்லது அழிக்கும் எந்த இரசாயனப் பொருளும்

🇮🇳Telugu

కాస్టిక్

సజీవ కణజాలాన్ని కాల్చే లేదా నాశనం చేసే ఏదైనా రసాయన పదార్ధం

🇮🇳Marathi

कास्टिक

कोणताही रासायनिक पदार्थ जो जिवंत ऊतींना जळतो किंवा नष्ट करतो

🇮🇳Gujarati

કોસ્ટિક

કોઈપણ રાસાયણિક પદાર્થ જે જીવંત પેશીઓને બાળી નાખે છે અથવા નાશ કરે છે

🇮🇳Kannada

ಕಾಸ್ಟಿಕ್

ಜೀವಂತ ಅಂಗಾಂಶವನ್ನು ಸುಡುವ ಅಥವಾ ನಾಶಮಾಡುವ ಯಾವುದೇ ರಾಸಾಯನಿಕ ವಸ್ತು

🇮🇳Malayalam

കാസ്റ്റിക്

ജീവനുള്ള കോശങ്ങളെ കത്തിക്കുന്നതോ നശിപ്പിക്കുന്നതോ ആയ ഏതെങ്കിലും രാസവസ്തു

🇮🇳Punjabi

ਕਾਸਟਿਕ

ਕੋਈ ਵੀ ਰਸਾਇਣਕ ਪਦਾਰਥ ਜੋ ਜੀਵਤ ਟਿਸ਼ੂ ਨੂੰ ਸਾੜਦਾ ਜਾਂ ਨਸ਼ਟ ਕਰਦਾ ਹੈ

🇵🇰Urdu

کاسٹک

کوئی بھی کیمیائی مادہ جو زندہ بافتوں کو جلاتا یا تباہ کرتا ہے۔

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

腐蚀性的

任何燃烧或破坏活体组织的化学物质

🇯🇵Japanese

苛性

生体組織を燃焼または破壊する化学物質

🇰🇷Korean

부식제

살아있는 조직을 태우거나 파괴하는 화학 물질

🇻🇳Vietnamese

chất ăn da

bất kỳ chất hóa học nào đốt cháy hoặc phá hủy mô sống

🇹🇭Thai

กัดกร่อน

สารเคมีใด ๆ ที่เผาไหม้หรือทำลายเนื้อเยื่อที่มีชีวิต

🇮🇩Indonesian

pedas

zat kimia apa pun yang membakar atau menghancurkan jaringan hidup

🇵🇭Filipino

mapang-uyam

anumang kemikal na sangkap na sumusunog o sumisira sa buhay na tisyu

🇲🇾Malay

kaustik

sebarang bahan kimia yang membakar atau memusnahkan tisu hidup

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

كاوية

أي مادة كيميائية تحرق أو تدمر الأنسجة الحية

🇮🇷Persian

سوزاننده

هر ماده شیمیایی که بافت زنده را می سوزاند یا از بین می برد

🇹🇷Turkish

kostik

Canlı dokuyu yakan veya yok eden herhangi bir kimyasal madde

🇮🇱Hebrew

מְאַכֵּל

כל חומר כימי ששורף או הורס רקמה חיה

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'caustic'?

The primary meaning of 'caustic' is 'any chemical substance that burns or destroys living tissue'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'caustic' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'caustic' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'caustic' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'caustic' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

How often do you encounter the word 'caustic' in your daily reading?

Very Often

Occasionally

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Never

Do you find 'caustic' easy to spell?

Yes, very easy

Somewhat easy

A bit confusing

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In your opinion, does the word 'caustic' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?

Positive

Neutral

Gloomy

Vibrant

Which age group is most likely to use 'caustic' in regular conversations?

Kids (3-12)

Teens (13-19)

Adults (20-60)

Seniors (60+)

How likely are you to use 'caustic' in a professional email?

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Would you classify 'caustic' as formal, casual, or slang?

Formal

Casual

Slang

Archaic

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