1
as in bitterness
biting sharpness of feeling or expression a film critic noted for the vitriol and sometimes outright cruelty of his pronouncements
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in abuse
harsh insulting language the review was more than just unfavorable—it was loaded with vitriol
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of vitriol But that can’t explain all of the vitriol. —
Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 14 Apr. 2026 However, the constant barrage of stories that focus only on wrongdoing within our law enforcement agencies, when left completely unchecked by ones that celebrate the many valuable (and, in some cases, heroic) contributions, serve only to unfairly fan the flames of distrust and vitriol. —Craig MacLellan, Boston Herald, 3 Apr. 2026 Nowhere is there the vitriol or denigration found in MAGA gatherings. —Chicago Tribune, 1 Apr. 2026 Then there’s Haim, so full of venom and vitriol, who depending on one’s perspective is low-key the hero or villain of the film. —Brian Truitt, USA Today, 31 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for vitriol
Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 14 Apr. 2026 However, the constant barrage of stories that focus only on wrongdoing within our law enforcement agencies, when left completely unchecked by ones that celebrate the many valuable (and, in some cases, heroic) contributions, serve only to unfairly fan the flames of distrust and vitriol. —Craig MacLellan, Boston Herald, 3 Apr. 2026 Nowhere is there the vitriol or denigration found in MAGA gatherings. —Chicago Tribune, 1 Apr. 2026 Then there’s Haim, so full of venom and vitriol, who depending on one’s perspective is low-key the hero or villain of the film. —Brian Truitt, USA Today, 31 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for vitriol
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vitriol
Noun
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Just make sure to choose limes with slightly thinner skin for less bitterness.— Melinda Salchert, Southern Living, 19 Apr. 2026
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Weeks after American Idol audiences booed her for giving honest feedback, Carrie Underwood responded not with bitterness but with blue boxes.— Samantha Agate, Kansas City Star, 16 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Cole found that he was still traumatized by the abuse and had a hard time concentrating.— Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
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Single-source grants The legislative auditor’s report found that from July 2022 through December 2024, BHA paid out roughly $200 million annually to counties, tribes and providers for services related to mental health and substance abuse disorder, totaling some 830 separate grant agreements.— Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 19 Apr. 2026
Noun
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More than half a century of Cold War hostilities were thawing.— Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2026
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The goal of negotiations between Lebanon and Israel is to end hostilities and the occupation of southern Lebanon, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said in a statement today.— Will Clark, NBC news, 20 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Riley would have invented invectives.— Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 17 Apr. 2026
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Today’s writers use it to wildly different ends, from political invectives to plainspoken diaries to surreal dreamscapes.— Patrick Dundon, JSTOR Daily, 9 Apr. 2026
Noun
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In ominous voiceover, Sam feels her bile rising as Hathaway’s Mary approaches after a decade-long estrangement.— David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 14 Apr. 2026
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So often, the word nostalgia felt coated in bile—a nostalgia act.— Danielle Parker, CBS News, 14 Apr. 2026
Noun
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There are comic insults and lines of great beauty.— Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 21 Apr. 2026
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The president often hurled insults at Bezos and his ownership of The Washington Post, as well as his tax record.— Annie Palmer,Justin Papp, CNBC, 21 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Bruce Lehr, Lunger's attorney, disputed the severity of the charges.— Anna McAllister, CBS News, 22 Apr. 2026
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Why High-Speed Rural Corridors Increase California Crash Severity Beyond urban centers, crash severity often increases in rural corridors where higher speeds are more common.— Gretchen Wittenmyer-Stone, Sacbee.com, 21 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Flash forward 92-plus years to Donald Trump’s rally Sunday at New York’s Madison Square Garden, a bleak, lurid festival of racist hate and profane vituperation so vile that even fellow Republicans, who have turned a blind eye to Trump’s character for years, are distancing themselves from the event.— Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2024
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The politicization of the COVID response has only worsened this trend, likely resulting in part from Trump’s vituperation.— Matt Motta, Scientific American, 29 Oct. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Vitriol.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.grautoblog.com/thesaurus/vitriol. Accessed 27 Apr. 2026.
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