Vitriolized

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To subject to bitter criticism or harsh condemnation, often characterized by sharp, caustic words
2. to process a material with a strong corrosive substance, usually acid
3. to express deep hostility in communication that is intensely hurtful or damaging

Etymology: "Vitriolized" is the past tense and participle of "vitriolize," which comes from "vitriol," a word that originally named a class of mineral salts. In medieval alchemy, "vitriol" referred to substances that were glassy and often blue-green, such as copper sulfate, and the term is often linked to the Latin "vitrum," meaning glass. The sulfuric acid made from these salts was called "oil of vitriol," and its corrosive power is the root of the modern sense: the acid burned and dissolved whatever it touched. By the 1600s, English writers were using "vitriol" figuratively for bitter, burning speech, and the verb followed in the 19th century, formed by adding the verb-making suffix "-ize" to the noun. To vitriolize someone is to attack them with words that work like that acid, eating into the target rather than merely disagreeing with them.

Synonyms: soured, bitterness

Antonyms: sweetened