corrosive

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UK/kəˈɹəʊsɪv/Canada, US/kəˈɹoʊsɪv/Australia/kəˈɹəʉsɪv/New Zealand/kəˈɹɐʉsəv/

adjective

Eating away; having the power of gradually wearing, hanging, or destroying the texture or substance of a body; as the corrosive action of an acid.

Similar
mordantcausticerosivevitriolicdestructivesarcastic
OriginOld French corrosif →
Less commonScrabble 14
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Meanings

adjectivecorrosive (comparative more corrosive, superlative most corrosive)

comparative more corrosive · superlative most corrosive

  1. Eating away; having the power of gradually wearing, hanging, or destroying the texture or substance of a body; as the corrosive action of an acid.
  2. Having the quality of fretting or vexing. Abrasive or undermining within social relationships.

    Care is no cure, but corrosive.

    1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Sixt”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene iii]
  3. Destroying or undermining something gradually.
nouncorrosive (plural corrosives)

plural corrosives

  1. That which has the quality of eating or wearing away gradually.
  2. Any solid, liquid or gas capable of irreparably harming living tissues or damaging material on contact.

Synonyms & antonyms

Similar
mordant

adjectiveof a substance, especially a strong acid; capable of destroying or eating away by chemical action

Similar
causticerosivevitriolicmordantdestructive

adjectivespitefully sarcastic

Similar
sarcastic
Also see
acridcausticdestructiveerosivemordantsarcasticvitriolic

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Old Frenchcorrosif
  2. Englishcorrosive

From Old French corrosif.

More words from Old French

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian разяждащ, корозионен
  • разяждащ (razjaždašt)destroying texture or substance of a body
  • корозионен (korozionen)destroying texture or substance of a body
Catalan corrosiu
  • corrosiudestroying texture or substance of a body
Chinese Mandarin 腐蝕性的 /腐蚀性的
  • 腐蝕性的 /腐蚀性的 (fǔshíxìng de)destroying texture or substance of a body
Czech žíravý, žíravina
  • žíravýdestroying texture or substance of a body
  • žíravinasubstance harming living tissue or damaging material
Dutch corrosief
  • corrosiefdestroying texture or substance of a body
Finnish syövyttävä
  • syövyttävädestroying texture or substance of a body
French corrosif
  • corrosifdestroying texture or substance of a body
German korrosiv
  • korrosivdestroying texture or substance of a body
Greek διαβρωτικός
  • διαβρωτικός (diavrotikós)destroying texture or substance of a body
Hungarian maró
  • maródestroying texture or substance of a body
Norwegian Bokmål etsende
  • etsendedestroying texture or substance of a body
Polish żrący, kaustyczny
  • żrącydestroying texture or substance of a body
  • kaustycznydestroying texture or substance of a body
  • substancja żrącasubstance harming living tissue or damaging material
Russian коррозийный
  • коррозийный (korrozijnyj)destroying texture or substance of a body
Scottish Gaelic loisgeach
  • loisgeachdestroying texture or substance of a body
Spanish corrosivo
  • corrosivodestroying texture or substance of a body
Swedish frätande
  • frätandedestroying texture or substance of a body
Turkish aşındırıcı, aşındırıcı
  • aşındırıcıdestroying texture or substance of a body
  • aşındırıcısubstance harming living tissue or damaging material
Vietnamese ăn mòn
  • ăn mòndestroying texture or substance of a body
Welsh ysol
  • ysoldestroying texture or substance of a body
Cite this entry
APA

corrosive. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/corrosive

MLA

“corrosive.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/corrosive. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “corrosive,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/corrosive.

Source: corrosive on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.