Bitter — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective noun verb adverb /ˈbi-tər/ bit·ter

Meaning & Definition of Bitter

Bitter (adjective)

  1. being, inducing, or marked by the one of the five basic taste sensations that is peculiarly acrid, astringent, and often disagreeable and characteristic of citrus peels, unsweetened cocoa, black coffee, mature leafy greens (such as kale or mustard), or ale
  2. distasteful or distressing to the mind, galling
  3. marked by intensity or severity:

Bitter (noun)

  1. bitter quality
  2. the taste sensation that is peculiarly acrid, astringent, and often disagreeable and is characteristic of citrus peels, unsweetened cocoa, black coffee, mature leafy greens (such as kale or mustard), or ale
  3. a usually alcoholic solution of bitter and often aromatic plant products used especially in preparing mixed drinks or as a mild tonic

Bitter (verb)

  1. to make bitter

Bitter (adverb)

  1. to an intense or severe degree, to a bitter degree

Bitter (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. having or showing deep-seated resentment

    "a bitter attitude about always having to work on Saturday"

    "she's still bitter about how her family treated her so unfairly"

    similar: acrid, acrimonious, embittered, hard, rancorous, resentful, sore
    related: disaffected, discontented, disgruntled, malcontent, contemptuous, cynical, disdainful, misanthropic, scornful, angry, cruel, harsh, irritated, mad, rough, savage, vehement, vicious, virulent, vitriolic, acid, caustic, cutting, mordant, sarcastic, trenchant, knock-down, drag-out
    opposite: unbitter
    near: caring, forgiving, gentle, kind, kindhearted, loving, sweet, sympathetic, tender, warm, warmhearted

  2. hard to accept or bear especially emotionally

    "discovering that he had been cut from the crew team was a bitter disappointment"

    similar: afflicting, agonizing, cruel, excruciating, galling, grievous, harrowing, harsh, heartrending, hurtful, painful, tormenting, torturous
    related: insufferable, insupportable, intolerable, unacceptable, unbearable, unendurable, unsupportable, appalling, awful, bad, dire, dreadful, ghastly, horrible, miserable, nasty, rotten, severe, terrible, vile, wretched, acute, extreme, intense, piercing
    opposite: gratifying, pleasing, sweet
    near: bearable, endurable, supportable, sustainable, tolerable, livable, sufferable, survivable, acceptable, allowable, reasonable

  3. causing intense discomfort to one's skin

    "a bitter wind was stinging the faces of the skiers"

    similar: biting, cutting, keen, penetrating, piercing, raw, sharp, shrewd, smarting, stinging
    related: brisk, invigorating, nippy, snappy, needlelike, prickly, tingling, caustic, corrosive
    near: balmy, gentle, mild, soothing

  4. difficult to endure

    "a bitter lesson about money and friendship"

    similar: brutal, burdensome, cruel, excruciating, grievous, grim, hard, hardhanded, harsh, heavy, inhuman, murderous, onerous, oppressive, rough, rugged, searing, severe, stiff, tough, trying
    related: austere, bleak, comfortless, discomforting, forbidding, inhospitable, spartan, uncomfortable, biting, inclement, intemperate, wild, rigorous, strict, stringent, agonizing, heartbreaking, heartrending, painful, wretched, crushing, grinding, overwhelming, wearing, insufferable, insupportable, intolerable, unbearable, unendurable, harrowing, tortuous, bad, disagreeable, hostile, unfriendly, unpleasant
    opposite: easy, light, soft
    near: comfortable, cozy, luxurious, snug, agreeable, friendly, genial, hospitable, pleasant, peaceful, relaxing, reposeful, restful, bearable, endurable, painless, tolerable, balmy, calm, clement, gentle, mild, moderate, temperate

  5. having a low or subnormal temperature

    "a bitter February day for this part of the country"

    similar: algid, arctic, bone-chilling, chill, chilly, cold, coldish, cool, coolish, freezing, frigid, frosty, gelid, glacial, ice-cold, icy, nipping, nippy, numbing, polar, shivery, snappy, wintry
    related: cryogenic, subfreezing, subzero, ultracold, cutting, keen, penetrating, piercing, sharp, bracing, brisk, crisp, invigorating, rigorous, chilled, cooled, frosted, frozen, iced, refrigerated, unheated
    opposite: ardent, blazing, boiling, broiling, burning, fervent, fervid, fiery, glowing, hot, igneous, molten, piping hot, red-hot, roasting, scalding, scorching, searing, seething, sizzling, sultry, sweltering, torrid, ultrahot, warming, white-hot
    near: lukewarm, tepid, heated, overheated, reheated, warmed, snug, toasty, warm, feverish, flushed, inflamed, canicular, equatorial, muggy, steamy, summery, tropical

  6. uncomfortably cool

    "a bitter, rainy day"

    similar: bleak, chill, chilling, chilly, nipping, nippy, raw, sharp
    related: bracing, brisk, crisp, invigorating, rigorous, snappy, arctic, cold, coolish, freezing, frigid, frosty, glacial, ice-cold, icy, numbing, polar, shivery, wintry, subfreezing, subzero, frore, frosted, frozen, iced, refrigerated, unheated
    near: balmy, warm, lukewarm, tepid, heated, warmed

  7. expressing or suggesting mourning

    "a bitter cry of grief"

    similar: aching, agonized, anguished, bemoaning, bewailing, deploring, doleful, dolesome, dolorous, funeral, grieving, heartbroken, lamentable, lugubrious, mournful, plaintive, plangent, regretful, rueful, sorrowful, sorry, wailing, weeping, woeful
    related: dirgelike, elegiac, melancholy, dejected, depressed, despondent, disconsolate, dispirited, downcast, downhearted, heartsick, heartsore, inconsolable, tearful, brokenhearted, careworn, crestfallen, forlorn, gloomy, glum, low-spirited, miserable, sad, triste, unhappy, woebegone, bawling, crying, groaning, howling, keening, moaning, yammering, bleeding, suffering, black, bleak, cheerless, comfortless, dark, darkening, desolate, dismal, dreary, funereal, gray, joyless, low, moody, morbid, morose, pathetic, pessimistic, piteous, saturnine, somber, sullen, wretched
    near: delighted, exulting, glorying, happy, joyful, rejoicing, triumphant, bright, cheerful, cheering, cheery, laughing, smiling, blissful, blithe, blithesome, buoyant, jocund, jolly, joyous, lighthearted, merry, mirthful, encouraging, hopeful, optimistic, ecstatic, elated, euphoric, exhilarated, giddy, heady, rapturous, rhapsodic

  8. not giving pleasure to the mind or senses

    "had to face the bitter truth about their marriage"

    similar: bad, disagreeable, displeasing, distasteful, harsh, icky, nasty, rotten, sour, uncongenial, unlovely, unpalatable, unpleasant, unpleasing, unsavory, unwelcome, wicked, yucky
    related: abhorrent, abominable, appalling, awful, beastly, bilious, disgusting, dreadful, foul, ghastly, gnarly (slang), god-awful, gross, hateful, hellish, hideous, horrendous, horrible, horrid, invidious, loathsome, nauseating, nauseous, noisome, obnoxious, obscene, odious, offensive, repellent, repugnant, repulsive, revolting, revulsive, scandalous, seamy, shocking, sick, sickening, ugly, unholy, vile, villainous, aggravating, annoying, galling, irritating, vexing, crappy (slang), cruddy, crummy, lousy, miserable, sucky (slang), wretched
    opposite: agreeable, congenial, good, grateful, gratifying, nice, palatable, pleasant, pleasing, pleasurable, satisfying, welcome
    near: delectable, delicious, delightful, dreamy, felicitous, amiable, charming, cheery, friendly, jolly, kindly, sweet

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Bitter

The most common words with a similar meaning to Bitter:

acrid, acrimonious, embittered, hard, rancorous, resentful, sore, afflicting, agonizing, cruel, excruciating, galling, grievous, harrowing, harsh, heartrending, hurtful, painful, tormenting, torturous, biting, cutting, keen, penetrating, piercing, raw, sharp, shrewd, smarting, stinging, brutal, burdensome, grim, hardhanded, heavy, inhuman, murderous, onerous, oppressive, rough

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Bitter

Words with the opposite meaning of Bitter:

unbitter, gratifying, pleasing, sweet, easy, light, soft, ardent, blazing, boiling, broiling, burning, fervent, fervid, fiery, glowing, hot, igneous, molten, piping hot, red-hot, roasting, scalding, scorching, searing, seething, sizzling, sultry, sweltering, torrid

Related Words for Bitter

disaffected, discontented, disgruntled, malcontent, contemptuous, cynical, disdainful, misanthropic, scornful, angry, irritated, mad, savage, vehement, vicious, virulent, vitriolic, acid, caustic, mordant, sarcastic, trenchant, knock-down, drag-out, insufferable, insupportable, intolerable, unacceptable, unbearable, unendurable, unsupportable

Near Antonyms of Bitter

caring, forgiving, gentle, kind, kindhearted, loving, sympathetic, tender, warm, warmhearted, bearable, endurable, supportable, sustainable, tolerable, livable, sufferable, survivable, acceptable, allowable, reasonable, balmy, mild, soothing, comfortable, cozy, luxurious, snug, friendly, genial

Word Forms of Bitter

Inflections: bittered, bittering, bitters

Derived words: bitterish (adjective), bitterly (adverb), bitterness (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Bitter

Middle English, going back to Old English biter, going back to Germanic *bitra- (whence Old Saxon & Old High German bittar "acrid-tasting," Old Norse bitr "biting, sharp") and *baitra- (whence Gothic baitrs "sharp-tasting"), derivatives from the base of *bītan- "to bite" bite:1

First known use: before 12th century

Words & Phrases Containing Bitter

bitter almond, bitter cress, bitter end, bitter orange

Frequently Asked Questions about Bitter

What does "Bitter" mean?

"Bitter" means being, inducing, or marked by the one of the five basic taste sensations that is peculiarly acrid, astringent, and often disagreeable and characteristic of citrus peels, unsweetened cocoa, black coffee, mature leafy greens (such as kale or mustard), or ale. As an an adjective, a noun, a verb and an adverb, it is defined as: being, inducing, or marked by the one of the five basic taste sensations that is peculiarly acrid, astringent, and often disagreeable and characteristic of citrus peels, unsweetened cocoa, black coffee, mature leafy greens (such as kale or mustard), or ale. It has 8 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Bitter"?

Other words for "Bitter" include acrid, acrimonious, embittered, hard, rancorous, resentful, sore and afflicting. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Bitter" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Bitter"?

There are 295 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Bitter". Common alternatives include acrid, acrimonious, embittered, hard, rancorous, resentful, sore, afflicting, agonizing and cruel.

What is the opposite of "Bitter"?

Antonyms of "Bitter" include unbitter, gratifying, pleasing, sweet, easy, light, soft and ardent. Near antonyms include caring, forgiving, gentle and kind.

How do you use "Bitter" in a sentence?

Examples of "Bitter" in a sentence: "a bitter attitude about always having to work on Saturday"; "she's still bitter about how her family treated her so unfairly"; "discovering that he had been cut from the crew team was a bitter disappointment".

Is "Bitter" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Bitter" can be used as an adjective, a noun, a verb and an adverb, depending on the context.

How do you pronounce "Bitter"?

"Bitter" is pronounced /ˈbi-tər/ and divided into syllables as bit·ter.

What is the origin of the word "Bitter"?

"Bitter" comes from Middle English, going back to Old English biter, going back to Germanic *bitra- (whence Old Saxon & Old High German bittar "acrid-tasting," Old Norse bitr "biting, sharp") and *baitra- (whence Gothic baitrs "sharp-tasting"), derivatives from the base of *bītan- "to bite" bite:1. First known use: before 12th century.