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bitter

UK:^*^*UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈbɪtə^r/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/ˈbɪtɚ/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(bit′ər)

Inflections of 'bitter' (adj):

bitterer: adj comparative

bitterest: adj superlative

bit•ter /ˈbɪtɚ/USA pronunciation adj.

having a harsh taste;
not sour, sweet, or salty:bitter herbs.
[before a noun] hard to bear: a bitter sorrow.
[before a noun] causing pain: a bitter chill.
characterized by hostility:bitter enemies.
[before a noun] experienced at great cost: a bitter lesson.

n. [uncountable]

WineBrit. an ale that tastes bitter because it is made with hops:two pints of your best bitter.

bit•ter•ly, adv.: a bitterly cold night.
bit•ter•ness, n. [uncountable]

bit•ter (bit′ər),USA pronunciation adj., -er, -est, n., v., adv.
adj.

having a harsh, disagreeably acrid taste, like that of aspirin, quinine, wormwood, or aloes.
Physiologyproducing one of the four basic taste sensations;
not sour, sweet, or salt.
hard to bear;
grievous;
distressful:a bitter sorrow.
causing pain;
piercing;
stinging:a bitter chill.
characterized by intense antagonism or hostility:bitter hatred.
hard to admit or accept:a bitter lesson.
resentful or cynical:bitter words.

that which is bitter;
bitterness:Learn to take the bitter with the sweet.
[Brit.]a very dry ale having a strong taste of hops.

v.t.

to make bitter:herbs employed to bitter vermouth.

adv.

extremely;
very;
exceedingly:a bitter cold night.

bef. 1000; Middle English, Old English biter; cognate with German bitter, Old Norse bitr, Gothic baitrs; akin to bite

bit′ter•ish, adj.
bit′ter•ly, adv.
bit′ter•ness, n.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

bitter /ˈbɪtə/ adj

having or denoting an unpalatable harsh taste, as the peel of an orange or coffee dregs
Compare sour
showing or caused by strong unrelenting hostility or resentment
difficult or unpleasant to accept or admit: a bitter blow
cutting; sarcastic: bitter words
bitingly cold: a bitter night

adv

very; extremely (esp in the phrase bitter cold)

a thing that is bitter
Brit beer with a high hop content, with a slightly bitter taste

Etymology: Old English biter; related to bītan to biteˈbitterly adv ˈbitterness n

'bitter' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):

acerbic - acerbate - aloes - amaretti - amaretto - amygdalin - angostura bark - Angostura bitters - asafoetida - bile - Bitter Lakes - bitters - bitter end - blanch - brine - caffeine - cassava - chocolate - diatribe - dimenhydrinate - embitter - exacerbate - exchange - Fassbinder - fester - feud - file - galbanum - gall - gentian - grapefruit - half-and-half - heavy - heroin - hops - horehound - hydrogen cyanide - invective - kava - Khyber Pass - lollo rosso - marasca - maraschino - Matamoros - meprobamate - mild - molasses - morello - Ogaden - absinthe

In Lists: Top 2000 English words, Food tastes and textures, Opposite adjectives, more...

Synonyms: acidic, tart, sour, sour-tasting, sharp, more...

Collocations: a bitter [lemon, herb, dish, fruit], UK: I'll have a (pint of) bitter shandy, take the bitter with the sweet, more...

🗣️Forum discussions with the word(s) "bitter" in the title:

A bitter cold / Bitter cold
a bitter Jordan [Indefinite article?]
<a> bitter milk [Indefinite article]
a bitter/unfortunate man
A half of bitter, threepence halfpenny
a resentful/bitter animal
a sour/bitter attitude
a sweet skin and (a) bitter inner part
Always do it on tuppence for a bitter
amid bitter controversy
as bitter as sweet
Bitter
Bitter and base associations have become the sole food of your memory
bitter and better
bitter and kicked.
bitter as an adverb
bitter battle over blame
bitter bowl of tears
bitter expectations
bitter gourd/squash/melon
bitter gourds are easy prey to worms
bitter lemon / lemonade
bitter man
Bitter medicine
bitter name
Bitter power struggles for centuries
Bitter rival
bitter snow
bitter sweet smoke
bitter wine of dumb luck
more...

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bitter