What does acerbic mean?
Word: Acerbic
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Acerbic means harsh and direct in criticising, in a way that can sting.
Synonyms: biting, cutting
Antonyms: mild
How do you spell acerbic?
Syllables: a - cer - bic
Tricky part: The s sound after the opening a is spelt c, so aserbic is wrong.
Watch out for: aserbic, asserbic
Memory tip: Imagine a city critic with an acerbic pen: the c of city and the c of acerbic make the same s sound.
Acerbic in a sentence
Example 1: The food writer's acerbic review made the chef laugh out loud.
Example 2: Grandpa's acerbic jokes about cricket selectors are famous in our family.
Example 3: Even her most acerbic letters to the editor were beautifully written.
Fun Fact
It comes from Latin acerbus, 'harsh to the taste'; today English uses the word mostly for what people say and write, not for food.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word acerbic as used in the sentence:
Her acerbic remarks on the school magazine left the young editors rather quiet.
a) lengthy
b) sudden
c) witty
d) gentle
Show answer
d) gentle. Gentle remarks would soothe the editors, not silence them.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the letters to find the word that fits the sentence:
Nobody expected such an ricbeac speech from the quiet captain.
a) aerobic
b) acerbic
c) archaic
d) acidic
Show answer
b) acerbic. Acidic has no r, aerobic needs an o, and archaic has an extra a and an h.
Spell-o-Spell
Three of these words are spelt correctly. Choose the meaning of the misspelt word:
1. sceptical 2. pessimistic 3. sarcastic 4. acerbik
a) doubting whether something is true
b) saying the opposite of what you mean in order to mock
c) expecting that things will turn out badly
d) sharp-tongued in expressing an opinion
Show answer
d) sharp-tongued in expressing an opinion. The word ends in ic, as comic does; sarcastic, sceptical and pessimistic are spelt as they should be.
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
acerrbic
a) c
b) r
c) b
d) i
Show answer
b) r. The r is single here, as it is in herb.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which remark sounds acerbic?
a) 'I went to see the film with my two cousins.'
b) 'What a dull film; even the popcorn had more life.'
c) 'The film starts at six o'clock this evening.'
d) 'That film was long, but I liked it very much.'
Show answer
b) 'What a dull film; even the popcorn had more life.'
2. A columnist with an acerbic style is most likely to leave readers ____.
a) amused or stung by her comments
b) bored by her long lists of facts
c) soothed by her warm praise
d) puzzled by her difficult sums
Show answer
a) amused or stung by her comments
