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VITRIOL
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
Irregular inflected forms: vitriolled , vitriolling
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Abusive or venomous language used to express blame or censure or bitter deep-seated ill will
Synonyms:
invective; vitriol; vituperation
Classified under:
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents
Hypernyms ("vitriol" is a kind of...):
abuse; contumely; insult; revilement; vilification (a rude expression intended to offend or hurt)
Derivation:
vitriolic (harsh or corrosive in tone)
Sense 2
Meaning:
(H2SO4) a highly corrosive acid made from sulfur dioxide; widely used in the chemical industry
Synonyms:
oil of vitriol; sulfuric acid; sulphuric acid; vitriol
Classified under:
Hypernyms ("vitriol" is a kind of...):
acid (any of various water-soluble compounds having a sour taste and capable of turning litmus red and reacting with a base to form a salt)
Meronyms (substance of "vitriol"):
atomic number 16; S; sulfur; sulphur (an abundant tasteless odorless multivalent nonmetallic element; best known in yellow crystals; occurs in many sulphide and sulphate minerals and even in native form (especially in volcanic regions))
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "vitriol"):
battery acid; electrolyte acid (dilute sulfuric acid used in storage batteries)
Derivation:
vitriolic (of a substance, especially a strong acid; capable of destroying or eating away by chemical action)
II. (verb)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Subject to bitter verbal abuse
Classified under:
Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing
Hypernyms (to "vitriol" is one way to...):
assail; assault; attack; lash out; round; snipe (attack in speech or writing)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody
Sense 2
Meaning:
Expose to the effects of vitriol or injure with vitriol
Classified under:
Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling
Hypernyms (to "vitriol" is one way to...):
subject (cause to experience or suffer or make liable or vulnerable to)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
