harsh or corrosive in tone
e.g. an acerbic tone piercing otherwise flowery prose
e.g. a barrage of acid comments
e.g. her acrid remarks make her many enemies
e.g. bitter words
e.g. blistering criticism
e.g. caustic jokes about political assassination, talk-show hosts and medical ethics
e.g. a sulfurous denunciation
e.g. a vitriolic critique
Synonym: acerb acerbic acid acrid bitter blistering caustic sulfurous sulphurous vitriolic