bitterness
Americannoun
-
a harsh, acrid taste that is one of the four basic taste sensations; a taste that is not sour, sweet, or salty.
The beer’s initial flavor profile is a faint bitterness, with a lingering, slightly cloying sweetness.
-
a feeling of pain or distress.
The bitter herbs at a Passover Seder are meant to remind us of the bitterness of slavery.
-
a feeling of antagonism, hostility, or resentfulness.
There was no shortage of people expressing frustration and bitterness about the slow pace of the relief efforts.
Other Word Forms
- overbitterness noun
Etymology
Origin of bitterness
Vocabulary lists containing bitterness
"America"
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Suffixes: -ness
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
We know how this game ends: in bitterness and resentment.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 16, 2026
It acts as a kind of bass note — amplifying the darker frequencies of cocoa, intensifying its bitterness and pulling it into focus.
From Salon • Mar. 5, 2026
With emotion can come suspicion, bitterness and rancour.
From BBC • Feb. 28, 2026
At the time, the board envisioned a power-sharing arrangement between the two Bobs, but it ultimately fueled bitterness.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 20, 2026
He took some dried willow bark from his medicine pouch and chewed it, gagging on its gritty bitterness.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
