embitter

[ em-bit-er ]

verb (used with object)

1. to make bitter; cause to feel bitterness:

   Failure has embittered him.

   Synonyms: envenom, rankle, sour

2. to make bitter or more bitter in taste.

embitter

/ ɪmˈbɪtə /

verb

1. to make (a person) resentful or bitter
2. to aggravate (an already hostile feeling, difficult situation, etc)

Derived Forms

• emˈbitterer, noun
• emˈbitterment, noun
• emˈbittered, adjective

Other Words From

• em·bitter·er noun
• em·bitter·ment noun
• unem·bittered adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of embitter¹

First recorded in 1595–1605; em- ¹ + bitter

Example Sentences

People on the right get embittered by people on the left.

From Salon

Vance cast his fellow Appalachians as stuck and embittered with a country that moved on without them.

From Los Angeles Times

He has served as a historical and cultural consultant since “The Last Samurai,” in which Tom Cruise plays an embittered U.S.

From Los Angeles Times

Here's the breakdown of the embittered relations between the frenemies turned outright adversaries:

From Salon

Germans were embittered by the way so many German speakers were placed under the rule of other countries.

From Literature

Related Words

• aggravate
• annoy
• disaffect
• disillusion
• exacerbate
• exasperate
• irritate
• sour