bitterness
Americannoun
-
a harsh, acrid taste that is one of the four basic taste sensations; a taste that is not sour, sweet, or salty.
The beer’s initial flavor profile is a faint bitterness, with a lingering, slightly cloying sweetness.
-
a feeling of pain or distress.
The bitter herbs at a Passover Seder are meant to remind us of the bitterness of slavery.
-
a feeling of antagonism, hostility, or resentfulness.
There was no shortage of people expressing frustration and bitterness about the slow pace of the relief efforts.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of bitterness
Vocabulary lists containing bitterness
"America"
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Suffixes: -ness
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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.
But both he and Balda know how much medicine the audience can handle in their fluff before the bitterness overwhelms the sweet.
From Salon • May 17, 2026
Such a cloying tone from the queen of bitterness!
From Slate • May 6, 2026
The discord began at a time when bitterness about Spain’s colonial legacy had largely receded, and many Mexicans celebrate their mixed European and Indigenous heritage.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 18, 2026
To call him a good loser is simply untrue—though from what we can tell the bitterness was always directed inward.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026
“It feels good to be kosher again,” I told him, not without some bitterness in my voice.
From "The Chosen" by Chaim Potok
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.
