1. Harsh or corrosive in tone
   "caustic jokes about political assassination, talk-show hosts and medical ethics";
   - acerb, acerbic, acid, acrid, bitter, blistering, sulfurous [N. Amer], sulphurous [Brit, Cdn], virulent, vitriolic, acidulous
    
2. Of a substance, especially a strong acid; capable of destroying or eating away by chemical action
   "The caustic solution quickly dissolved the metal";
   - corrosive, erosive, vitriolic, mordant

1. Any chemical substance that burns or destroys living tissue
   "The worker wore protective gear to handle the caustic cleaning solution"
    
2. The envelope of light rays reflected or refracted by a curved surface or object
   "The physicist studied the caustic formed by light passing through the curved lens"
    
3. (physics) the intersection of reflected or refracted (or more generally lensed) light rays
   "The caustic formed a bright pattern on the surface of the water"

Derived forms: caustics

See also: destructive, unpleasant

Type of: chemical compound, compound, envelope

Encyclopedia: Caustic