Meaning & use
acetic acid
A colorless liquid organic acid with a sharp smell that gives vinegar its sour taste.
See it in a sentence
Vinegar typically contains about five percent acetic acid by volume.
Chemists use acetic acid in the laboratory to produce various esters and dyes.
A note on using this word
Acetic acid's chemical formula is CH3COOH; the concentrated, pure form is called glacial acetic acid.
Words with a similar meaning
This term is best learned through its definition and examples.
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “acetic acid”, then compare your use with the examples above.
Your draft stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.