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Acerbic vs Obstinate - What's the difference?

acerbic | obstinate |

As adjectives the difference between acerbic and obstinate

is that acerbic is tasting sour or bitter while obstinate is stubbornly adhering to an opinion, purpose, or course, usually with implied unreasonableness; persistent.

acerbic

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Tasting sour or bitter.
  • * 1998 Aug. 5, Dr. Peter Gott, " Can inhaler cause addiction?," Catoosa County News (retrieved 19 Sep 2009):
  • Those consumers who object to the acerbic taste of garlic can purchase de-odorized garlic or allicin extract.
  • Sharp, harsh, biting.
  • * 1986 Sept. 22, " West Germany: Last Taunts From the Lip," Time (retrieved 25 Apr 2014):
  • Supercompetent, superconfident and supercritical, Schmidt is a gifted orator whose acerbic wit earned him the nickname "Schmidt the Lip."
  • * 2005 May 5, Jay Mathews, "Don't Fire This Professor," Washington Post , p. T6:
  • [H]e is one of the most acerbic people in his field, quick to take offense and not shy about telling people with whom he disagrees how much he thinks they have failed in thought and action.

    Synonyms

    * (sour or bitter) acerb, acrid * acrid, scathing

    Anagrams

    *

    obstinate

    English

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Stubbornly adhering to an opinion, purpose, or course, usually with implied unreasonableness; persistent.
  • * 1686 , , "That men are justly punished for being obstinate in the defence of a fort that is not in reason to be defended",
  • From this consideration it is that we have derived the custom, in times of war, to punish
  • Said of inanimate things not easily subdued or removed.
  • * 1927 , ,
  • Now it happened that Kasturbai had again begun getting haemorrhage, and the malady seemed to be obstinate .

    Synonyms

    * bloody-minded, persistent, stubborn, pertinacious * (not easily subdued) persistent, unrelenting, inexorable * See also

    Derived terms

    * obstinately * obstinateness