Bitter
WordNet
adjective
(1) Marked by strong resentment or cynicism
"An acrimonious dispute"
"Bitter about the divorce"
(2) Proceeding from or exhibiting great hostility or animosity
"A bitter struggle"
"Bitter enemies"
(3) Expressive of severe grief or regret
"Shed bitter tears"
(4) Causing a sharply painful or stinging sensation; used especially of cold
"Bitter cold"
"A biting wind"
(5) Harsh or corrosive in tone
"An acerbic tone piercing otherwise flowery prose"
"A barrage of acid comments"
"Her acrid remarks make her many enemies"
"Bitter words"
"Blistering criticism"
"Caustic jokes about political assassination, talk-show hosts and medical ethics"
"A sulfurous denunciation"
"A vitriolic critique"
(6) One of the four basic taste sensations; sharp and disagreeable; like the taste of quinine
(7) Very difficult to accept or bear
"The bitter truth"
"A bitter sorrow"
adverb
(8) Extremely and sharply
"It was bitterly cold"
"Bitter cold"
noun
(9) The property of having a harsh unpleasant taste
(10) The taste experience when quinine or coffee is taken into the mouth
(11) English term for a dry sharp-tasting ale with strong flavor of hops (usually on draft)
verb
(12) Make bitter
WiktionaryText
Adjective
- Having an acrid taste (usually from a basic substance)
- The coffee was bitter.
- Harsh, piercing or stinging
- A bitter wind blew from the north.
- 1999: It was at the end of February, ... when the world was cold, and a bitter wind howled down the moors.... — Neil Gaiman, Stardust, pg. 31 (Perennial paperback edition)
- Hateful or hostile
- They're bitter enemies.
- Cynical and resentful
- I've been bitter ever since that defeat.
Usage notes
- The one-word comparative form and superlative form exist, but are less common than their two-word counterparts and .