Acerbicness

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The quality of having a sharp, harsh, or biting style in speech or writing
2. A characteristic of expressing criticism or severity in a direct and often cutting way
3. The state of conveying unpleasantly sharp or bitter remarks or attitudes

Etymology: Acerbicness is a plain formation: the adjective "acerbic" with the suffix "-ness," which turns an adjective into a noun for a quality or state. The adjective itself comes from "acerbus," the Latin word for bitter, harsh or sour-tasting, which was applied to fruit and wine before it was applied to people. That shift from taste to temper is the whole journey of the family: a sour apple gave way to a sour remark. The suffix does the rest of the work. "-ness" has been attached to English adjectives since Old English, and it reliably names the condition of being whatever the adjective describes. So "acerbicness" means the quality of being acerbic, and in practice it is used for the bitter tone of a critic's writing or a speaker's manner rather than for anything physically sharp.

Synonyms: sharpness, bitterness, tartness, acridity, harshness

Antonyms: sweetness, mildness, gentleness, kindness, softness