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.
It can be a long season if the bitterness of the major league rejection of the winter lingers into the spring and summer, but Kelly does not see that in Turner.
From Los Angeles Times • May 18, 2026
Such a cloying tone from the queen of bitterness!
From Slate • May 6, 2026
The press’s gooey attitude was justified as relief from the daily bitterness of politics.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026
Tahini has a kind of quiet luxury to it — less sweet than nut butters, less showy, with a soft, earthy depth that can tip, just slightly, into bitterness in a way that feels intentional.
From Salon • Mar. 25, 2026
But when he later recounted his return to the White House, Jennings voiced no bitterness over the deferred promise of freedom.
From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis
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.
