What is another word for bitter?

Synonyms for bitter
ˈbɪt ərbit·ter

This thesaurus page includes all potential synonyms, words with the same meaning and similar terms for the word bitter.

Wiktionary5.0 / 1 vote

  1. bitteradjective

    Synonyms:
    jaded

    Antonyms:
    optimistic

  2. bitteradjective

    Having an acrid taste (usually from a basic substance)

    The coffee was bitter.

    Synonyms:
    jaded

    Antonyms:
    optimistic

  3. bitteradjective

    Harsh, piercing or stinging

    Synonyms:
    jaded

    Antonyms:
    optimistic

  4. bitteradjective

    Hateful or hostile

    They're bitter enemies.

    Synonyms:
    jaded

    Antonyms:
    optimistic

  5. bitteradjective

    Cynical and resentful

    I've been bitter ever since that defeat.

    Synonyms:
    jaded

    Antonyms:
    optimistic

English Synonyms and Antonyms0.0 / 0 votes

  1. bitter

    Acid, sour, and bitter agree in being contrasted with sweet, but the two former are sharply distinguished from the latter. Acid or sour is the taste of vinegar or lemon-juice; bitter that of quassia, quinine, or strychnine. Acrid is nearly allied to bitter. Pungent suggests the effect of pepper or snuff on the organs of taste or smell; as, a pungent odor. Caustic indicates the corroding effect of some strong chemical, as nitrate of silver. In a figurative sense, as applied to language or character, these words are very closely allied. We say a sour face, sharp words, bitter complaints, caustic wit, cutting irony, biting sarcasm, a stinging taunt, harsh judgment, a tart reply. Harsh carries the idea of intentional and severe unkindness, bitter of a severity that arises from real or supposed ill treatment. The bitter speech springs from the sore heart. Tart and sharp utterances may not proceed from an intention to wound, but merely from a wit recklessly keen; cutting, stinging, and biting speech indicates more or less of hostile intent, the latter being the more deeply malicious. The caustic utterance is meant to burn, perhaps wholesomely, as in the satire of Juvenal or Cervantes. Compare MOROSE.

    Synonyms:
    acerb, acetous, acid, acidulated, acidulous, acrid, acrimonious, biting, caustic, cutting, harsh, irate, pungent, savage, sharp, sour, stinging, tart, vinegarish, virulent

    Antonyms:
    dulcet, honeyed, luscious, nectared, saccharine, sweet

Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and Antonyms0.0 / 0 votes

  1. bitter

    Synonyms:
    harsh, sour, sharp, tart, acrimonious, sarcastic, severe, sad, afflictive, intense, stinging, pungent, acrid, cutting

    Antonyms:
    sweet, mellow, pleasant, affable, kindly, genial, light, mitigated, trivial

Princeton's WordNet0.0 / 0 votes

  1. bitternoun

    English term for a dry sharp-tasting ale with strong flavor of hops (usually on draft)

    Synonyms:
    bitterness

    Antonyms:
    joyful, tasteless, painless, amicable, tolerable, unresentful, pleasant

  2. bitter, bitternessnoun

    the taste experience when quinine or coffee is taken into the mouth

    Synonyms:
    bitterness, rancour, rancor, thorniness, acrimony, jaundice, resentment, tartness, acerbity, gall

    Antonyms:
    painless, pleasant, amicable, unresentful, joyful, tasteless, tolerable

  3. bitterness, bitteradjective

    the property of having a harsh unpleasant taste

    Synonyms:
    bitterness, rancour, rancor, thorniness, acrimony, jaundice, resentment, tartness, acerbity, gall

    Antonyms:
    painless, tolerable, tasteless, unresentful, amicable, pleasant, joyful

  4. acrimonious, bitteradjective

    marked by strong resentment or cynicism

    "an acrimonious dispute"; "bitter about the divorce"

    Synonyms:
    acrimonious, acrid, biting, acid, sulphurous, caustic, virulent, blistering, acerbic, vitriolic, acerb, sulfurous

    Antonyms:
    tasteless, pleasant, painless, unresentful, tolerable, amicable, joyful

  5. bitteradjective

    very difficult to accept or bear

    "the bitter truth"; "a bitter sorrow"

    Synonyms:
    acrimonious, biting, blistering, acid, sulphurous, acrid, virulent, caustic, acerbic, vitriolic, acerb, sulfurous

    Antonyms:
    tolerable, tasteless, amicable, painless, unresentful, pleasant, joyful

  6. acerb, acerbic, acid, acrid, bitter, blistering, caustic, sulfurous, sulphurous, virulent, vitriolicadjective

    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"

    Synonyms:
    virulent, blistering, red-hot, vitriolic, hot, blistery, acerbic, stifling, sulphurous, acidic, acrimonious, caustic, mordant, acidulous, venomous, astringent, sulfurous, acrid, deadly, acid, corrosive, pungent, biting, sultry, acidulent, acerb, erosive

    Antonyms:
    pleasant, tolerable, amicable, unresentful, joyful, tasteless, painless

  7. bitteradjective

    expressive of severe grief or regret

    "shed bitter tears"

    Synonyms:
    acrimonious, biting, blistering, acid, sulphurous, acrid, virulent, caustic, acerbic, vitriolic, acerb, sulfurous

    Antonyms:
    unresentful, amicable, tolerable, joyful, pleasant, tasteless, painless

  8. bitteradjective

    proceeding from or exhibiting great hostility or animosity

    "a bitter struggle"; "bitter enemies"

    Synonyms:
    acrimonious, biting, blistering, acid, sulphurous, acrid, virulent, caustic, acerbic, vitriolic, acerb, sulfurous

    Antonyms:
    tolerable, unresentful, joyful, amicable, tasteless, painless, pleasant

  9. bitteradjective

    causing a sharp and acrid taste experience;"quinine is bitter"

    Synonyms:
    acrimonious, biting, blistering, acid, sulphurous, acrid, virulent, caustic, acerbic, vitriolic, acerb, sulfurous

    Antonyms:
    tolerable, amicable, joyful, unresentful, pleasant, painless, tasteless

  10. biting, bitterverb

    causing a sharply painful or stinging sensation; used especially of cold

    "bitter cold"; "a biting wind"

    Synonyms:
    virulent, nipping, barbed, vitriolic, mordacious, acerbic, sulphurous, acrimonious, caustic, acrid, sulfurous, blistering, acid, pungent, biting, acerb

    Antonyms:
    amicable, painless, pleasant, tolerable, unresentful, tasteless, joyful

  11. bitteradverb

    make bitter

    Antonyms:
    unresentful, painless, tasteless, amicable, pleasant, joyful, tolerable

  12. piercingly, bitterly, bitingly, bitteradverb

    extremely and sharply

    "it was bitterly cold"; "bitter cold"

    Synonyms:
    bitingly, bitterly, piercingly, shrilly

    Antonyms:
    pleasant, joyful, unresentful, tasteless, amicable, tolerable, painless

Matched Categories

Editors Contribution0.0 / 0 votes

  1. bitterousadjective

    densely bitter, or disrespectfully bitter

    i just find your bitterous truth

    Submitted by farukhossainifti on May 21, 2022  

Dictionary of English Synonymes0.0 / 0 votes

  1. bitteradjective

    Synonyms:
    that tastes like wormwood

  2. bitteradjective

    Synonyms:
    fierce, savage, cruel, merciless, relentless, virulent, fell, ruthless

  3. bitteradjective

    Synonyms:
    severe, harsh, stern

  4. bitteradjective

    Synonyms:
    distressing, painful, grievous, sorrowful, afflictive, poignant, calamitous

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated Words0.0 / 0 votes

  1. bitteradjective

    Synonyms:
    acrid, acerb, poignant, intense, calamitous, distressing, virulent, acrimonious, implacable

PPDB, the paraphrase database0.0 / 0 votes

  1. List of paraphrases for "bitter":

    amer, painful, sour, acrimonious, scathing, harsh, embittered, fierce, resentful

How to pronounce bitter?

How to say bitter in sign language?

Words popularity by usage frequency

rankingword
#487hot
#2570acid
#3091sharp
#3717cutting
#3964severe
#5071sad
#7174intense
#9200deadly
#9372painful
#9792savage
#10079bitter
#11437harsh
#12027sour
#15142fierce
#16018amer
#18316biting
#21252gall
#21938tart
#24020acidic
#27532resentment
#29440corrosive
#29779sarcastic
#29904bitterness
#33779barbed
#34958bitterly
#35779caustic
#36346jaded
#40176stinging
#40186sultry
#40699blistering
#42439jaundice
#43797virulent
#50552pungent
#51207stifling
#51420venomous
#54181scathing
#58225irate
#65748resentful
#72228astringent
#83177embittered
#88964erosive
#91935nipping
#95661shrilly
#96542acerbic
#96952acrid
#98936rancor
#100013vitriolic
#103017acrimonious
#114709acrimony
#117416mordant
#194842sulfurous
#206618sulphurous
#209511tartness
#211476rancour
#253401bitingly
#315186piercingly

How to use bitter in a sentence?

  1. Hkalam Samson:

    Coup is a bitter word that we don’t want to hear.

  2. Simone Pika:

    Self-medication — where individuals use plant parts or non-nutritional substances to combat pathogens or parasites — has been observed across multiple animal species including insects, reptiles, birds and mammals, current Biology.Bears two closest living relatives, chimpanzees and bonobos, for instance, swallow leaves of plants with anthelmintic( antiparasitic) properties and chew bitter leaves that have chemical properties to kill intestinal parasites.

  3. Katie Marsh:

    To drink it straight is kind of bitter, but it’s not at all objectionable in a smoothie.

  4. Lisa Durden:

    I absolutely LOVE Jesse Eisenberg's parody of the 'bitter boy' movie critic, it was spot on! these lazy movie critics, bastardize movie reviews, because they are wannabe directors, who's dreams fell down the watering hole of failure, due to their lack of tenacity.

  5. Abdul Wahab Ahmed:

    The dream won’t last long, and soon we’ll wake up to the bitter reality of being stuck in the crossfire between government forces and (IS) fighters.


Translations for bitter

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

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"bitter." Synonyms.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Mar. 2024. <https://www.synonyms.com/synonym/bitter>.

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    Which of the following terms is not a synonym for "Tolerable"?
    A passable
    B constructive
    C adequate
    D fair to middling

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