vitriolic
vi·tri·ol·ic/ˌvɪt.riˈɑ.lɪk/adjective
vitriolic is spelled V-I-T-R-I-O-L-I-C: 9 letters and 4 syllables (vi·tri·ol·ic). It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 48,775th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, vitriolic means “Of or pertaining to vitriol; derived from or resembling vitriol” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in vitriolic?
| Letters | 9: V-I-T-R-I-O-L-I-C |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4: vi·tri·ol·ic |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 48,775th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is vitriolic?
Vitriolic appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 48,775th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce vitriolic?
- UK /vɪtɹɪˈɒlɪk/
- US /ˌvɪt.riˈɑ.lɪk/
Vitriolic has 4 syllables, split vi·tri·ol·ic in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-au-vitriolic.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with vitriolic?
9 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as vitriolic from its last stressed vowel (/ɑlɪk/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of vitriolic
- more vitriolic comparative
- most vitriolic superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does vitriolic mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
datedOf or pertaining to vitriol; derived from or resembling vitriol.
a vitriolic taste
- 2
Bitterly scathing, caustic.
vitriolic criticism
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Where does vitriolic come from?
From vitriol + -ic; or from French vitriolique (cognate with Italian vetriolico, Portuguese vitriolico, Spanish vitriólico).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).