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

acrid

adjective

/ˈækrɪd/

jump to other results

having a strong, bitter smell or taste that is unpleasant synonym pungent
- acrid smoke from burning tyres
- The fog was yellow and acrid and bit at the back of the throat.
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
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
Acrid is used with these nouns:
fumes
smell
smoke
…
See full entry
Word Originearly 18th cent.: formed irregularly from Latin acer, acri- ‘sharp, pungent’ + -id, probably influenced by acid.

Want to learn more?

Find out which words work together and produce more natural sounding English with the Oxford Collocations Dictionary app.

See acrid in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary

Check pronunciation: acrid

Nearby words

buttercup

noun

From the Topic

Plants and trees

Oxford Learner's Dictionaries Word of the Day