bitter pill

American  

noun

1. a distressing experience or result that is hard to accept (often in the expressiona bitter pill to swallow ).

   Being passed over for promotion was a bitter pill to swallow.

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Example Sentences

For USC, it was an especially bitter pill to swallow, considering how well things had started.

From Los Angeles Times

The sale was a bit of a bitter pill for Simmons to swallow, leaving him with just $200,000 in profit after he paid $10.8 million for the combined properties.

From MarketWatch

Liam Rosenior said Chelsea's failure to stay calm under pressure was a "bitter pill" as they blew a two-goal advantage in their 2-2 draw with Leeds on Tuesday.

From Barron's

It was a bitter pill to swallow for a young man who had spoken to AFP before the game about wanting to be an "all-time great" and to emulate his illustrious Patriots predecessor Tom Brady.

From Barron's

It would be a bitter pill to swallow if you had to hire another heating engineer and pay a third time.

From MarketWatch