Skip to main content
acidic

acidic

23 3.9
Having a low pH like lemon juice or vinegar
  • adjective
  • /əˈsɪdɪk/
translation icon : ácido
  • Plants rely on a very, very stable pH, whether it's acidic or alkaline to uptake nutrients.
  • acidic pH
  • acidic soil
  • acidic solution

So the protein coordinates with some acidic side chains.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • On average, the normal pH of earwax is 6.9, which is slightly on the acidic side.

    Academic text (2004)
  • The soil in this garden is too acidic for most plants to thrive comfortably.

  • You need a wine that is just as acidic, maybe even more acidic.

  • It's not only hot, it's acidic.

  • We can talk more about how the sea water's becoming too acidic.

  • The water from the storm, it's acidic.

  • So make sure make sure that your plants can handle acidic soil before applying this.

  • Unfortunately, the years of processing acidic water had already taken their toll on the plant's infrastructure.

    Academic text (1997)
  • Peat bogs are mostly made of highly acidic sphagnum mosses.

  • The lemonade was so acidic that it made my lips pucker.

Synonyms

acid
vsacidic
4 4.2

Having chemical properties that can burn and react with bases

refers to presence of substances that lower pH and pH below seven
acid-tasting
vsacidic
3.9

Having a sharp, sour taste like lemon or vinegar

denotes actual chemical presence or pH below seven
acidulous
vsacidic
9.6

Slightly sour in taste or tone

refers to chemical property or low pH rather than taste
acidulent
vsacidic
9.9

A little sour in taste like a lemon

describes chemical content or pH level instead of mild taste

Antonyms

3 5.0

Not acidic, having a pH above seven like baking soda

Compounds

acidic hydrogen
  • Specialized
6.8

A hydrogen atom that can leave an acid as a positive ion

How Acidic

acidic
23 3.9
neutral
  • Specialized
4 5.2
alkaline
3 5.0

Surface Forms

acidic positive
acidier comparative
acidiest superlative

Morphology

acidic = acid (transparent) = acid + ic

The adjective is formed by the regular adjectival suffix '-ic' added to 'acid', so the meaning is directly derived.

Etymology

The word acidic comes from the Latin acidus 'sour', first used for sour foods like lemon; so when scientists named the chemicals that make things sour, acidic came to mean 'containing acid' in chemistry.