acrimonious
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
- acrimoniously adverb
- acrimoniousness noun
- unacrimonious adjective
- unacrimoniously adverb
- unacrimoniousness noun
Etymology
Origin of acrimonious
From the Medieval Latin word ācrimōniōsus, dating back to 1605–15. See acrimony, -ous
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The ending, which I won’t spoil here, has become a lightning rod of controversy that cannot be destroyed, no matter how much acrimonious electricity it attracts.
From Salon • Feb. 23, 2026
The 20-team tournament had been overshadowed by an acrimonious political build-up.
From Barron's • Feb. 10, 2026
His departure from the company became acrimonious, with his lawyer later criticizing how he was treated by Berkshire.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 25, 2026
Lily Allen and actor David Harbour have cut $695,000 from the price of their Brooklyn, N.Y., townhouse—just over two months after the estranged couple put the property on the market amid their acrimonious divorce.
From MarketWatch • Jan. 12, 2026
He closed with the hope that “any question regarding priority in any patent claims ... be settled without acrimonious discussion.”
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
