corrosive means 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. It carries an Arena rating of 1739, earned across 14 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, corrosive ranks #244 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words, #1,640 of 17,131 for Scariest Words, #1,673 of 17,138 for Most Incisive Words, #1,716 of 17,127 for Most Vivid Words.
corrosive is pronounced /kəˈɹəʊsɪv/.
Why “corrosive” is a great word
Having the power to gradually wear away or destroy a substance by chemical action, or to undermine something in a similarly harmful, gradual manner. From Old French corrosif, from corroder ("to gnaw away, wear away"), from Latin corrodere, from com- ("together, intensive") + rodere ("to gnaw"). First attested in English in the late 14th century. Unlike “caustic,” which suggests a swift, burning violence, or “abrasive,” which implies a surface scour of friction, corrosive speaks of a deeper, more patient consumption. It is the slow, green weeping of oxidized copper, the hidden rust hollowing a ship’s beam from within, and the quiet, acidic drip of suspicion that finally etches away all trust—a testament to how the most profound ruinations are rarely sudden, but are the work of a persistent, invisible gnawing.
Etymology
From Old French corrosif.
adj
- 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.
- Having the quality of fretting or vexing.e.g.“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] Bl
- Destroying or undermining something gradually.
noun
- That which has the quality of eating or wearing away gradually.
- Any solid, liquid or gas capable of irreparably harming living tissues or damaging material on contact.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
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