Definition of acid adjective from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

acid

adjective

/ˈæsɪd/

jump to other results

(specialist) that contains acid or has the essential characteristics of an acid; that has a pH of less than seven
- Rye is tolerant of poor, acid soils.
compare alkalineTopics Physics and chemistryc1

Questions about grammar and vocabulary?

Find the answers with Practical English Usage online, your indispensable guide to problems in English.
that has a bitter sharp taste synonym sour
- acid fruit
- It’s a very juicy fruit with a slightly acid flavour.
Synonyms bitter
bitterpungent ▪ sour ▪ acrid ▪ sharp ▪ acidThese words all describe a strong, unpleasant taste or smell.
bitter (of a taste or smell) strong and usually unpleasant; (of food or drink) having a bitter taste.pungent (of a smell or taste) strong and usually unpleasant; (of food or smoke) having a pungent smell or taste:
the pungent smell of burning rubber
sour (of a taste) bitter like the taste of a lemon or of fruit that is not ready to eat; (of food or drink) having a sour taste:
Too much pulp produces a sour wine.
acrid (of a smell or taste) strong and unpleasant; (of smoke) having an acrid smell:
acrid smoke from burning tyres
sharp (of a taste or smell) strong and slightly bitter; (of food or drink) having a sharp taste:
The cheese has a distinctively sharp taste.
acid (of a taste or smell) bitter, like the taste of a lemon or of fruit that is not ready to eat; (of food or drink) having an acid taste.
which word?A bitter taste is usually unpleasant, but some people enjoy the bitter taste of coffee or chocolate. No other word can describe this taste. A sharp or pungent taste is more strong than unpleasant, especially when describing cheese. Sharp, sour and acid all describe the taste of a lemon or a fruit that is not ready to eat. An acrid smell is strong and unpleasant, especially the smell of smoke or burning, but not the smell of food.Patterns
- a(n) bitter/pungent/sour/acrid/sharp/acid taste/flavour
- a(n) bitter/pungent/acrid/sharp/acid smell/odour
- a(n) bitter/sour/sharp/acid fruit
- pungent/sharp cheese
- pungent/acrid smoke
(of a person’s remarks) critical and unkind synonym sarcastic, cutting
- an acid wit
Topics Personal qualitiesc2

Word Originearly 17th cent. (in the sense ‘sour-tasting’): from Latin acidus, from acere ‘be sour’.

See acid in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee acid in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English

Check pronunciation: acid

Other results

All matches

Nearby words

previously

adverb

From the Word list

Oxford 3000

Oxford Learner's Dictionaries Word of the Day