acridity

noun

1. (countable, uncountable)Bitterness or acerbity.
2. (countable, uncountable)An acrid taste or smell.
3. (countable, figuratively, uncountable)Bitterness in speech or behavior; causticness.

   “She was not safe from the acridity of his tongue but at least she need not fear physical violence, which was well within the possibilities for others.”