text: what's the difference between acid and bases and acid and alkaline? when the ph is greater than 7, is it called a "base" or is it called "alkaline" the terms acid and/or base describe the solutions themselves (nouns).    the terms acidic/basic/alkaline are discriptive terms regarding the condition or state (adjectives).  naoh is a base and has a "basic"/"alkaline" ph.  hcl is an acid, and has an "acidic" ph.  the adjective "basic" means the same thing as "alkaline" and the terms are interchangable.