acrid

[ak-rid] /ˈæk rɪd/

adjective

sharp or biting to the taste or smell; bitterly pungent; irritating to the eyes, nose, etc.:

acrid smoke from burning rubber.

extremely or sharply stinging or bitter; exceedingly caustic:

acrid remarks.

Origin

1705-15; < Latin ācr- (stem of ācer) sharp, sour + -id⁴, perhaps through influence of acid

Related forms

acridity

[uh-krid-i-tee] /əˈkrɪd ɪ ti/ (Show IPA), acridness, noun

acridly, adverb

subacrid, adjective

subacridly, adverb

subacridness, noun

subacridity, noun

Can be confused

acerbic, acid, acrid.

Examples from the web for acrid

The vans still smoldered and set an acrid tang in the air which stung bitter in the back of the throat.
Aromatic penetrating slightly acrid odor and a slightly bitter caustic taste.
It has a pungent odor and an acrid taste.
The air was growing worse, thin and acrid, bitter smells of oil and wet cloth.
Oil that is too hot can also burn food, leaving an acrid flavor in the oil.
The air reeked with the acrid tang of powder.
The hiss was explosive and he turned his face from the acrid ammoniac steam.
But then, when the day's final question was posed, the acrid truth emerged.
His character was as amiable as his pen was acrid.
Firemen were summoned and the room filled with acrid fumes.

British Dictionary definitions for acrid

acrid

/ˈækrɪd/

adjective

unpleasantly pungent or sharp to the smell or taste

sharp or caustic, esp in speech or nature

Derived Forms

acridity (əˈkrɪdɪtɪ), acridness, noun
acridly, adverb

Word Origin

C18: from Latin ācer sharp, sour; probably formed on the model of acid

Word Origin and History for acrid

adj.

1712, formed irregularly from Latin acer (fem. acris) "sharp, pungent, bitter, eager, fierce," from PIE *akri- "sharp," from root *ak- "be sharp, rise (out) to a point, pierce" (cf. Oscan akrid (ablative singular) "sharply;" Greek akis "sharp point," akros "at the farthest point, highest, outermost," akantha "thorn," akme "summit, edge;" also oxys "sharp, bitter;" Sanskrit acri- "corner, edge," acani- "point of an arrow," asrih "edge;" Lithuanian ašmuo "sharpness," akstis "sharp stick;" Old Lithuanian aštras, Lithuanian aštrus "sharp;" Old Church Slavonic ostru, Russian óstryj "sharp;" Old Irish er "high;" Welsh ochr "edge, corner, border;" Old Norse eggja "goad;" Old English ecg "sword"). The -id suffix probably is in imitation of acid. Acrious (1670s) is a correct formation, but seldom seen.

acrid in Medicine

acrid ac·rid (āk'rĭd)
adj.
Unpleasantly sharp, pungent, or bitter to the taste or smell.

a·crid'i·ty (ə-krĭd'ĭ-tē) or ac'rid·ness n.