Sour or bitter in taste.

synonyms: acerbic, astringent.

Harsh or corrosive in tone:
— An acerbic tone piercing otherwise flowery prose.

synonyms: acerbic, acid, acrid, bitter, blistering, caustic, sulfurous, sulphurous, virulent, vitriolic.

Roget 392b: bitter, bitterish, acrid, acerb, acerbic.   

Roget 397: sour; acid, acidulous, acidulated; tart, crabbed; acetous, acetose^†; acerb, acetic; sour as vinegar, sourish, acescent^†, subacid [Chem]; styptic, hard, rough.    ... show more