Vitriolic

Vitriolic is an adjective with two principal senses: a historical chemical term and a modern figurative one. In its chemical sense, vitriol referred to a class of sulfate minerals and, more famously, to sulfuric acid. The phrase oil of vitriol described concentrated sulfuric acid produced by distilling certain sulfates. Historically, the term also named specific minerals known as vitriol salts, such as green vitriol (ferrous sulfate), blue vitriol (copper sulfate), and white vitriol (zinc sulfate). These usages reflect the corrosive properties and the glassy, crystalline appearance associated with the substances involved.

In its figurative sense, vitriolic describes language, criticism, or behavior that is caustic, bitter, or severely critical. A vitriolic remark or critique attacks a person, idea, or institution with harsh, scathing, and sometimes inflammatory rhetoric. The metaphorical meaning is common in journalism, critique, and everyday discourse, and it is typically used to convey a high degree of hostility or acrimony rather than a measured argument.

Etymology-wise, vitriolic derives from Latin vitriolus meaning glassy, via Old French vitriole and Medieval Latin vitriolus. The chemical sense—oil of vitriol—arose from the association of the liquid with its glasslike appearance in early distillations and its highly corrosive nature. Today, the chemical sense is largely historical, while the figurative sense remains widely used in describing pungent or aggressive prose or speech.