# caustic

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ˈkɔːstɪk/ · frequency rank #29,959

## Definitions
1. Capable of burning, corroding or destroying organic tissue.
2. Sharp, bitter, cutting, biting, and sarcastic in a scathing way.

## Etymology
From the Latin causticus (“burning”), from Ancient Greek καυστικός (kaustikós, “burning”), from καυστός (kaustós, “burnt”) + -ικός (-ikós).

## Easily confused with
- **cystic** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/caustic-vs-cystic)

## Common misspellings (10)
`acustic`, `casutic`, `causitc`, `causstic`, `caustci`, `causticc`, `causttic`, `cautsic`, `ccaustic`, `cuastic`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/caustic