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bitter

Syllabification: (bit·ter)
Pronunciation: /ˈbitər/
Translate bitter | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of bitter

adjective

  • 1having a sharp, pungent taste or smell; not sweet:the raw berries have an intensely bitter flavor
  • (of chocolate) dark and unsweetened.
  • 2(of people or their feelings or behavior) angry, hurt, or resentful because of one’s bad experiences or a sense of unjust treatment:I don’t feel jealous or bitter
  • (of a conflict, argument, or opponent) full of anger and acrimony:a bitter, five-year legal battle
  • 3(often used for emphasis) painful or unpleasant to accept or contemplate:today’s decision has come as a bitter blow
  • 4(of wind, cold, or weather) intensely cold:a bitter wind blowing from the east

noun

  • 1British beer that is strongly flavored with hops and has a bitter taste.
  • 2 (bitters) [treated as singular] liquor that is flavored with the sharp pungent taste of plant extracts and is used as an additive in cocktails or as a medicinal substance to promote appetite or digestion.

Phrases

to the bitter end

used to say that one will continue doing something until it is finished, no matter what:the workers would fight to the bitter end for safer conditions
[perhaps associated with a nautical word bitter denoting the last part of a cable inboard of the bitts, perhaps influenced by the biblical phrase 'her end is bitter as wormwood' (Prov. 5:4)]

Derivatives

bitterly

adverb

Origin:

Old English biter, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch and German bitter, and probably to bite

bitter in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of bitter in the British & World English dictionary

Nearby words

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Word of the day

enjambement

/ ɪnˈdʒam(b)m(ə)nt /
noun
(in verse) the continuation of a sentence without a pause …