Crossword Genius

Bitter civil riot erupting (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

vitriolic

'bitter' is the definition.
(synonyms)

'civil riot erupting' is the wordplay.
'erupting' indicates anagramming the letters.
'civil'+'riot'='civilriot'
'civilriot' is an anagram of 'VITRIOLIC'.

(Other definitions for vitriolic that I've seen before include "Scathing" , "Highly corrosive" , "Cruelly savage (criticism)" , "harsh" , "Filled with malice" .)

I've seen this clue in The Sun and The Guardian.
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