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bitter

/ˈbɪ.tɚ/noun, verb, adjective, adverb2 syllables

Bitter means: harsh or corrosive in tone.

Synonyms for bitter30

noun, as in the taste experience when quinine or coffee is taken into the mouth

noun, as in the property of having a harsh unpleasant taste

adjective, as in harsh or corrosive in tone

acerb, acerbic, acid, acrid, blistering, caustic, sulfurous, sulphurous, virulent, vitriolic, unpleasant

adjective, as in very difficult to accept or bear

intolerable, unbearable, unendurable

adjective, as in marked by strong resentment or cynicism

acrimonious, resentful

adjective, as in causing a sharply painful or stinging sensation; used especially of cold

adjective, as in expressive of severe grief or regret

sorrowful

adjective, as in proceeding from or exhibiting great hostility or animosity

adjective, as in causing a sharp and acrid taste experience

adverb, as in extremely and sharply

piercingly, bitterly, bitingly

also used for bitter

jaded, bittersome, sharp, English pale ale, EPA

Includes material from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

What does bitter mean?12

adjective

1

harsh or corrosive in tone“an acerbic tone piercing otherwise flowery prose”

2

very difficult to accept or bear“the bitter truth”

3

marked by strong resentment or cynicism“an acrimonious dispute”

4

causing a sharply painful or stinging sensation; used especially of cold“bitter cold”

5

expressive of severe grief or regret“shed bitter tears”

6

proceeding from or exhibiting great hostility or animosity“a bitter struggle”

7

causing a sharp and acrid taste experience“quinine is bitter”

adverb

1

extremely and sharply“it was bitterly cold”

noun

1

the taste experience when quinine or coffee is taken into the mouth

2

the property of having a harsh unpleasant taste

3

English term for a dry sharp-tasting ale with strong flavor of hops (usually on draft)

verb

1

make bitter

Definitions from the Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

What rhymes with bitter?8

two syllables

twitterlitterglitterhittersitterfitterritter

three syllables

Show 40 near rhymes

Bitter in a sentence

  • When the mouse is satiated, the flour is bitter.haimlevy
  • Good medicine tastes bitter, good advice is hard to listen to.archer_root
  • By and by, the bitter north wind will begin to blow.AlanF_US
  • By and by, the bitter north wind began to blow.AlanF_US
  • I have suffered through everything sour, but found nothing more bitter than needing people.Samer
  • Are you bitter because you're lonely, or lonely because you're bitter?Katabasis
  • Sugar is sweet, lemon is sour... and what is bitter?maaster
  • Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet.Adelpa

Sentences from Tatoeba, CC BY 2.0 FR, credited to their authors.

Forms of bitter

as a noun

plural
bitters

as a verb

third-person singular
bitters
present participle
bittering
past participle
bittered
past tense
bittered

as a adjective

comparative
bitterer
superlative
bitterest