bitter

[ bit-er ]

/ ˈbɪt ər /

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See synonyms for: bitter / bittered / bittering / bitters 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.

OTHER WORDS FOR bitter

1 acrid, unpalatable, distasteful.

3 distressing, poignant, painful.

4 biting, nipping.

5 fierce, cruel, ruthless, relentless.

7 acrimonious, caustic, biting, sardonic, scornful.

See synonyms for bitter on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of bitter

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

OTHER WORDS FROM bitter

bit·ter·ish, adjectivebit·ter·ly, adverbbit·ter·ness, nounnon·bit·ter, adjective

o·ver·bit·ter, adjectiveover·bit·ter·ly, adverbun·bit·ter, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH bitter

bidder, bitter

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use bitter in a sentence

Navel and Valencia oranges are similarly sweet, though navels are slightly more bitter with thicker peels and are favored for eating, while Valencias are favored for juicing.
Harness the bright sweetness of oranges in these 7 recipes|Kari Sonde|November 9, 2020|Washington Post
The pandemic has already provided a bitter first look at what that could mean.
Inside Singapore’s huge bet on vertical farming|Katie McLean|October 13, 2020|MIT Technology Review
Officially part of Azerbaijan on the map, Nagorno-Karabakh is de facto controlled by Armenian forces, following a bitter war in the 1990s.
The Mobster Who Brought Armenia and Azerbaijan Together … in Death|Fiona Zublin|October 9, 2020|Ozy
Mel Gibson plays a bitter, hard-drinking Chris Cringle in the forthcoming film Fatman.
All we want for Christmas is Mel Gibson’s Bad Santa in the Fatman trailer|Jennifer Ouellette|October 8, 2020|Ars Technica

Health care was the subject of one of the night’s first and most bitter exchanges—a signal that the subject is back on the candidates’ agenda.
What the health care industry needs from the 2020 election|Erika Fry|September 30, 2020|Fortune

British Dictionary definitions for bitter

bitter

/ (ˈbɪtə) /

adjective

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

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

difficult or unpleasant to accept or admita bitter blow

cutting; sarcasticbitter words

bitingly colda 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, adverbbitterness, noun

Word Origin for bitter

Old English biter; related to bītan to bite

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other 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

bitter

OTHER WORDS FOR bitter

Origin of bitter

OTHER WORDS FROM bitter

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH bitter

Words related to bitter

How to use bitter in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for bitter

Derived forms of bitter

Word Origin for bitter

Other Idioms and Phrases with bitter