acerbate

adj, verb — 3 senses

acerbate

adj

UK /ˈa.sə.beɪt/ · US /ˈæ.səɹˌbeɪt/

Etymology From Latin acerbātus, perfect passive participle of acerbō (“make bitter”), from acerbus (“bitter”).

1

Rare Embittered; having a sour disposition or nature.

acerbate

verb

Etymology From Latin acerbātus, perfect passive participle of acerbō (“make bitter”), from acerbus (“bitter”).

1

To exasperate; to irritate.

Lady Laura had triumphed; but she had no desire to acerbate her husband by any unpalatable allusion to her victory.1869, Anthony Trollope, chapter 51, in Phineas Finn:

2

To make bitter or sour.

Synonyms: provoke, sour, embitter
Derived terms: acerbation, exacerbate

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.

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Conjugation of “acerbate”, all tenses