bitter

[ bit-er ]

/ ˈbɪt ər /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR bitter ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, bit·ter·er, bit·ter·est.

having a harsh, disagreeably acrid taste, like that of aspirin, quinine, wormwood, or aloes.

producing one of the four basic taste sensations; not sour, sweet, or salt.

hard to bear; grievous; distressful: a bitter sorrow.

causing pain; piercing; stinging: a bitter chill.

characterized by intense antagonism or hostility: bitter hatred.

hard to admit or accept: a bitter lesson.

resentful or cynical: bitter words.

noun

that which is bitter; bitterness: Learn to take the bitter with the sweet.

British. a very dry ale having a strong taste of hops.

verb (used with object)

to make bitter: herbs employed to bitter vermouth.

adverb

extremely; very; exceedingly: a bitter cold night.

Origin of bitter

before 1000; Middle English, Old English biter; cognate with German bitter, Old Norse bitr, Gothic baitrs; akin to bite

SYNONYMS FOR bitter

1 acrid, biting, distasteful.

3 distressing, poignant, painful.

4 biting, nipping.

5 fierce, cruel, ruthless, relentless.

7 acrimonious, caustic, sardonic, scornful.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR bitter ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM bitter

bit·ter·ish, adjective bit·ter·ly, adverb bit·ter·ness, noun non·bit·ter, adjective

o·ver·bit·ter, adjective o·ver·bit·ter·ly, adverb o·ver·bit·ter·ness, noun un·bit·ter, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH bitter

bidder bitter

Words nearby bitter

bitstock, bitstream, bitsy, bitt, bitten, bitter, bitter almond, bitter almond oil, bitter apple, bitter cassava, bitter cress

Example sentences from the Web for bitter

There was a collective gasp at both the four-letter word and the bitter sentiment it carried.

How Richard Pryor Beat Bill Cosby and Transformed America |David Yaffe, Scott Saul |December 10, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
By halftime a crowd of what appeared to be a few hundred people had amassed in the bitter cold.

‘I Can’t Breathe’ Makes It Onto the Court for Will and Kate to See |Jacob Siegel |December 9, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
But the manner in which the two technology mavens administered their coup de grâce only two months later has left a bitter taste.

Facebook Prince Purges The New Republic: Inside the Destruction of a 100-Year-Old Magazine |Lloyd Grove |December 5, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
ISIS and the Nusra Front were once aligned under the al Qaeda banner but have been bitter rivals over the past year.

The ISIS Wife Swap Mystery |Jacob Siegel |December 3, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

Yet even as the Germans wallowed in bitter self-pity, another defeated superpower underwent a dramatic turnaround.

The 20th-Century Dictator Most Idolized by Hitler |William O’Connor |November 24, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
She moaned and wept and refused all comfort, until one night she closed her eyes on the world which had been so harsh and bitter.

The Bishop's Secret |Fergus Hume
He was a man of good judgment, strong in his likes and dislikes, and bitter in his resentments.

The Bay State Monthly - Volume 2, Issue 3, December, 1884 |Various
We both made a bitter mistake; but now it is over, and irrevocably so.

My Recollections of Lord Byron |Teresa Guiccioli
The bitter part was that it let go just short of where Lynds might have made it.

What Need of Man? |Harold Calin
Then Dollops went on his own tack, leaving Sir Edgar to enjoy his own bitter reflections as best he might.

The Riddle of the Purple Emperor |Mary E. Hanshew and Thomas W. Hanshew

British Dictionary definitions for bitter

bitter

/ (ˈbɪtə) /

adjective

having or denoting an unpalatable harsh taste, as the peel of an orange or coffee dregs Compare sour (def. 1)

showing or caused by strong unrelenting hostility or resentment he was still bitter about the divorce

difficult or unpleasant to accept or admit a bitter blow

cutting; sarcastic bitter words

bitingly cold a bitter night

adverb

very; extremely (esp in the phrase bitter cold)

noun

a thing that is bitter

British beer with a high hop content, with a slightly bitter taste

verb

to make or become bitter

Derived forms of bitter

bitterly, adverb bitterness, noun

Word Origin for bitter

Old English biter; related to bītan to bite

Idioms and Phrases with bitter

bitter

In addition to the idioms beginning with bitter

bitter end
bitter pill to swallow

also see:

take the bitter with the sweet

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

bitter

adjective, bit·ter·er, bit·ter·est.

noun

verb (used with object)

adverb

Origin of bitter

SYNONYMS FOR bitter

OTHER WORDS FROM bitter

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH bitter

Words nearby bitter

Example sentences from the Web for bitter

British Dictionary definitions for bitter

adjective

adverb

noun

verb

Derived forms of bitter

Word Origin for bitter

Idioms and Phrases with bitter

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

bitter

adjective, bit·ter·er, bit·ter·est.

noun

verb (used with object)

adverb

Origin of bitter

SYNONYMS FOR bitter

OTHER WORDS FROM bitter

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH bitter

Words nearby bitter

Words related to bitter

Example sentences from the Web for bitter

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for bitter

adjective

adverb

noun

verb

Derived forms of bitter

Word Origin for bitter

Idioms and Phrases with bitter

British Dictionary definitions for bitter