Bitter definition | Dictionary.com

Synonyms

acerbic, acrid, harsh, sour, brutal, hard, rough, severe, distasteful, indigestible, painful, unpalatable

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Bitter - 8 dictionary results

bit⋅ter

[bit-er]

adjective, -er, -est, noun, verb, adverb

–adjective

1.	having a harsh, disagreeably acrid taste, like that of aspirin, quinine, wormwood, or aloes.

2.	producing one of the four basic taste sensations; not sour, sweet, or salt.

3.	hard to bear; grievous; distressful: a bitter sorrow.

4.	causing pain; piercing; stinging: a bitter chill.

5.	characterized by intense antagonism or hostility: bitter hatred.

6.	hard to admit or accept: a bitter lesson.

7.	resentful or cynical: bitter words.

–noun

8.	that which is bitter; bitterness: Learn to take the bitter with the sweet.

9.	British. a very dry ale having a strong taste of hops.

–verb (used with object)

10.	to make bitter: herbs employed to bitter vermouth.

–adverb

11.	extremely; very; exceedingly: a bitter cold night.

Origin:
bef. 1000; ME, OE biter; c. G bitter, ON bitr, Goth baitrs; akin to bite

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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Language Translation for : Bitter

Spanish:

amargo,

German:

bitter,

Japanese:

苦い

View 30 other languages »

bit·ter (bĭt'ər) Pronunciation Key
adj. bit·ter·er, bit·ter·est

Having or being a taste that is sharp, acrid, and unpleasant.
Causing a sharply unpleasant, painful, or stinging sensation; harsh: enveloped in bitter cold; a bitter wind.
Difficult or distasteful to accept, admit, or bear: the bitter truth; bitter sorrow.
Proceeding from or exhibiting strong animosity: a bitter struggle; bitter foes.
Resulting from or expressive of severe grief, anguish, or disappointment: cried bitter tears.
Marked by resentment or cynicism: "He was already a bitter elderly man with a gray face" (John Dos Passos).

adv.   In an intense or harsh way; bitterly: a bitter cold night.

tr.v.   bit·tered, bit·ter·ing, bit·ters
To make bitter.

n.

That which is bitter: "all words . . . /Failing to give the bitter of the sweet" (Tennyson).
bitters A bitter, usually alcoholic liquid made with herbs or roots and used in cocktails or as a tonic.
Chiefly British A sharp-tasting beer made with hops.

[Middle English, from Old English; see bheid- in Indo-European roots.]

bit'ter·ly adv., bit'ter·ness n.

Synonyms: These adjectives mean unpleasantly sharp or pungent in taste or smell: a bitter cough syrup; an acerbic green apple; acrid smoke.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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bitter

O.E. biter, akin to bitan "bite," from P.Gmc. *bitras, from PIE base *bheid- "to split" (see fissure). Meaning moved in prehistoric times from "biting" to "acrid-tasting." Transferred to state of mind and to words in O.E. Bittersweet is 14c. in literal and figurative senses; bitters, so called for its taste, is from 1713. Phrase to the bitter end is attested from 1849.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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bitter
adjective
1.	marked by strong resentment or cynicism; "an acrimonious dispute"; "bitter about the divorce" [syn: acrimonious]
2.	very difficult to accept or bear; "the bitter truth"; "a bitter sorrow"
3.	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"
4.	expressive of severe grief or regret; "shed bitter tears"
5.	proceeding from or exhibiting great hostility or animosity; "a bitter struggle"; "bitter enemies"
6.	causing a sharp and acrid taste experience;"quinine is bitter"
7.	causing a sharply painful or stinging sensation; used especially of cold; "bitter cold"; "a biting wind" [syn: biting]
adverb
1.	extremely and sharply; "it was bitterly cold"; "bitter cold" [syn: piercingly]
noun
1.	English term for a dry sharp-tasting ale with strong flavor of hops (usually on draft)
2.	the taste experience when quinine or coffee is taken into the mouth
3.	the property of having a harsh unpleasant taste [syn: bitterness]
verb
1.	make bitter

WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
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Bitter

Bit"ter\, n. [See Bitts.] (Naut.) AA turn of the cable which is round the bitts.

Bitter end, that part of a cable which is abaft the bitts, and so within board, when the ship rides at anchor.

Bitter

Bit"ter\, a. [AS. biter; akin to Goth. baitrs, Icel. bitr, Dan., Sw., D., & G. bitter, OS. bittar, fr. root of E. bite. See Bite, v. t.]

1. Having a peculiar, acrid, biting taste, like that of wormwood or an infusion of hops; as, a bitter medicine; bitter as aloes.

2. Causing pain or smart; piercing; painful; sharp; severe; as, a bitter cold day.

3. Causing, or fitted to cause, pain or distress to the mind; calamitous; poignant.

It is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the Lord thy God. --Jer. ii. 19.

4. Characterized by sharpness, severity, or cruelty; harsh; stern; virulent; as, bitter reproach.

Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them. --Col. iii. 19.

5. Mournful; sad; distressing; painful; pitiable.

The Egyptians . . . made their lives bitter with hard bondage. --Ex. i. 14.

Bitter apple, Bitter cucumber, Bitter gourd. (Bot.) See Colocynth.

Bitter cress (Bot.), a plant of the genus Cardamine, esp. C. amara.

Bitter earth (Min.), tale earth; calcined magnesia.

Bitter principles (Chem.), a class of substances, extracted from vegetable products, having strong bitter taste but with no sharply defined chemical characteristics.

Bitter salt, Epsom salts; magnesium sulphate.

Bitter vetch (Bot.), a name given to two European leguminous herbs, Vicia Orobus and Ervum Ervilia.

To the bitter end, to the last extremity, however calamitous.

Syn: Acrid; sharp; harsh; pungent; stinging; cutting; severe; acrimonious.

Bitter

Bit"ter\, n. Any substance that is bitter. See Bitters.

Bitter

Bit"ter\, v. t. To make bitter. --Wolcott.