Churlish vs Acerbic - What's the difference?
churlish | acerbic |
of or pertaining to a serf, peasant, or rustic
* 1996 , Jeet Heer, Gravitas , Autumn 1996
rude, surly, ungracious
stingy or grudging
(of soil) difficult to till, lacking pliancy; unmanageable
*1730–1774 , Oliver Goldsmith, Introductory to Switzerland
*:Where the bleak Swiss their stormy mansion tread,t
*:And force a churlish soil for scanty bread.
Tasting sour or bitter.
* 1998 Aug. 5, Dr. Peter Gott, "
Sharp, harsh, biting.
* 1986 Sept. 22, "
* 2005 May 5, Jay Mathews, "Don't Fire This Professor," Washington Post , p. T6:
As adjectives the difference between churlish and acerbic
is that churlish is of or pertaining to a serf, peasant, or rustic while acerbic is tasting sour or bitter.churlish
English
Adjective
(en adjective)- [...] the eloquence and truth of his tribute stands in marked contrast to Kramer's churlish caricature of Kael as a happy pig wallowing in the dirt.
Synonyms
* (of or pertaining to a serf) rustic * (rude or surly) cross-grained, rude, surly, ungracious * (stingy or grudging) grudging, illiberal, miserly, niggardly, stingyacerbic
English
Adjective
(en adjective)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.
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."
- [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.
