bitter
[adjective]
Synonyms:
- sour, acid, acrid, astringent, harsh, sharp, tart, unsweetened, vinegary
- resentful, acrimonious, begrudging, hostile, sore, sour, sullen
- freezing, biting, fierce, intense, severe, stinging

---

Contrasted words: delicious, bland, flat, insipid, agreeable, gratifying, satisfying, mild, springlike, summery
Related Words: acerb, acid, bitterish, annoying, distressing, disturbing, woeful, bad, disagreeable, displeasing, offensive, unpleasant, galling, provoking, vexatious, alienated, divided, estranged, irreconcilable

---

English Thesaurus: beer, lager, ale, draught beer, real ale, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. bit‧ter¹ S3 W3 /ˈbɪtə $ -ər/ adjective
[Language: Old English; Origin: biter]

1. feeling angry, jealous, and upset because you think you have been treated unfairly ⇒ bitterly
bitter about
I feel very bitter about it.
a bitter old man

2. [only before noun] making you feel very unhappy and upset ⇒ bitterly
a bitter disappointment/blow
If he failed, it would be a bitter disappointment to his parents.
His photo stirred up bitter memories.
from bitter experience (=because of your own very unpleasant experiences)
She knew from bitter experience that it would be impossible to talk it over with Julian.

3. a bitter argument, battle etc is one in which people oppose or criticize each other with strong feelings of hate and anger
bitter dispute/battle/struggle etc
The couple are locked in a bitter battle for custody of the children.
The government faces bitter opposition to these policies.
The countries are still bitter enemies.

4. having a strong sharp taste, like black coffee without sugar ⇒ sour, sweet:
Enjoy the beer’s bitter taste as you slowly drink it.
bitter chocolate

5. unpleasantly cold ⇒ bitterly:
a bitter wind
the bitter cold of the Midwestern winters

6. to the bitter end continuing until the end, even though this is difficult:
Employees have vowed to fight the closure to the bitter end.

7. a bitter pill (to swallow) something very unpleasant that you must accept:
The knowledge that his friends no longer trusted him was a bitter pill to swallow.
—bitterness noun [uncountable]

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. bitter² noun

1. [uncountable and countable] British English a type of dark beer that is popular in Britain, or a glass of this:
A pint of bitter, please.

2. bitters [uncountable] a strong bitter liquid made from plants that is added to alcoholic drinks

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

bitter
adj.
I. angry/unhappy
VERBS be, feel, seem | become, grow, turn He had grown bitter as the years passed. Loving relationships can turn bitter.
remain | leave sb, make sb The divorce had left her bitter.
ADV. extremely, very | quite, rather, slightly
PREP. about She still seems quite bitter about it.
towards I felt very bitter towards them.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

bitter
II. very cold
VERBS be | become, turn The weather turned bitter.
remain
ADV. extremely, really, very | quite, rather

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

bitter
III. having a sharp taste
VERBS be, taste The drink tasted bitter.
ADV. extremely, very | rather, slightly, somewhat

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

bitter

a bitter battle/dispute
There was a bitter battle over the building of the new airport.
a bitter fight/struggle
The law was passed after a bitter fight that lasted nearly a decade.
a bitter conflict
The stage is set for a bitter conflict with trade unions.
a bitter debate/argument
The country now faces a bitter debate over the issue.
bitter disagreement
There were reports of bitter disagreement between the European Communities.
bitter opposition
The new tax aroused bitter opposition.
a bitter rival/enemy (=a rival/enemy who you have strong feelings of dislike or anger about)
The two men are bitter rivals for the party leadership.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

beer a general word for an alcoholic drink made from malt and HOPS:
a bottle of beer
Let’s go and have a beer in the pub.
lager a light-coloured beer, which often has a lot of bubbles in it:
A pint of lager, please.
ale a type of beer which is usually sold in a bottle or a can:
Beers and fine ales were brewed here for over a hundred years.
Newcastle Brown Ale
draught beer British English, draft beer American English beer that is served from a large container rather than a bottle, especially good quality beer:
The pub serves a range of draught beers.
real ale British English beer that has been made in the, traditional way, not in a large factory:
The pub has real ale and live music most nights.
bitter British English a type of dark strong beer that is popular in Britain:
I'll have a pint of bitter.
shandy a drink made of beer mixed with lemonade:
I'd better have a shandy - I'm driving.
cider an alcoholic drink made from apples:
His clothes were old and dirty, and he stank of cider.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

bitter having a strong sharp taste that is not sweet, like black coffee without sugar - used especially about chocolate, medicine etc:
The dessert is made with a slightly bitter chocolate.
Hops give beer its distinctive bitter taste.
The medicine tasted bitter.
As the lettuce gets older, the leaves become more bitter.
sharp having a taste that makes your tongue sting slightly:
Rhubarb has quite a sharp taste.
The cheese has a pleasing colour and a pleasantly sharp flavour.
sour having a usually unpleasant sharp acid taste, like the taste of a lemon, or a fruit that is not ready to be eaten – used especially about fruit, or about liquids that have gone bad:
Some people say that the purpose of the lemon’s sour taste is to stop the fruit being eaten by animals.
Rachel sampled the wine. It was sour.
acidic very sour – used especially about liquids or things made with fruits such as oranges, lemons, or grapes:
Some fruit juices taste a bit acidic.
tangy having a taste that is pleasantly strong or sharp, and that often tastes a little sweet as well:
The ribs are cooked in a tangy barbecue sauce.
tart having a taste that lacks sweetness – used especially about fruit such as apples, which you need to add sugar to:
The pudding had rather a tart flavour.
The trees were covered with tart wild plums.
spoil to have a bad effect on something so that it is much less attractive, enjoyable etc:
New housing developments are spoiling the countryside.
The bad weather completely spoiled our holiday.
ruin to spoil something completely and permanently:
Using harsh soap to wash your face can ruin your skin.
The argument ruined the evening for me.
mar written to spoil something by making it less attractive or enjoyable:
His handsome Arab features were marred by a long scar across his face.
Outbreaks of fighting marred the New Year celebrations.
detract from something to slightly spoil something that is generally very good, beautiful, or impressive:
The huge number of tourists rather detracts from the city’s appeal.
There were a few minor irritations, but this did not detract from our enjoyment of the holiday.
undermine to spoil something that you have been trying to achieve:
The bombings undermined several months of careful negotiations.
poison to spoil a close relationship completely, so that people can no longer trust each other:
Their marriage was poisoned by a terrible dark secret.
mess something up informal to spoil something important or something that has been carefully planned:
If there’s any delay, it will mess up our whole schedule.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

delicious having a very good taste:
This cake is delicious!
a delicious meal
disgusting/revolting having a very bad taste:
The medicine tasted disgusting.
They had to eat revolting things, like fish eyes.
sweet tasting full of sugar:
The oranges were very sweet.
tasty especially spoken tasting good and with plenty of flavour:
She cooked us a simple but tasty meal.
That was really tasty!
sour/tart having a taste that stings your tongue slightly, like lemon does – used especially when this is rather unpleasant:
The apples were a little sour.
The wine has rather a tart taste, which not everyone will like.
tangy having a taste that stings your tongue slightly, like lemon does, in a way that seems good:
The dressing was nice and tangy.
bitter having a strong taste which is not sweet and is sometimes rather unpleasant – used for example about black coffee, or chocolate without sugar:
bitter chocolate
The medicine had rather a bitter taste.
Hops give beer its distinctive bitter taste.
salty containing a lot of salt:
Danish salami has a salty flavour.
hot/spicy having a burning taste because it contains strong spices:
I love hot curries.
a spicy tomato sauce
piquant /ˈpiːkənt/ formal a little spicy – used especially by people who write about food. This word can sound rather pretentious in everyday conversation:
cooked vegetables in a piquant sauce
mild not having a strong or hot taste – usually used about foods that can sometimes be spicy:
a mild curry
bland not having an interesting taste:
I found the sauce rather bland.
sharp having a taste that makes your tongue sting slightly:
Rhubarb has quite a sharp taste.
The cheese has a pleasing colour and a pleasantly sharp flavour.
sour having a usually unpleasant sharp acid taste, like the taste of a lemon, or a fruit that is not ready to be eaten – used especially about fruit, or about liquids that have gone bad:
Some people say that the purpose of the lemon’s sour taste is to stop the fruit being eaten by animals.
Rachel sampled the wine. It was sour.
acidic very sour – used especially about liquids or things made with fruits such as oranges, lemons, or grapes:
Some fruit juices taste a bit acidic.
tart having a taste that lacks sweetness – used especially about fruit such as apples, which you need to add sugar to:
The pudding had rather a tart flavour.
The trees were covered with tart wild plums.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

delicious having a very good taste:
This cake is delicious!
a delicious meal
disgusting/revolting having a very bad taste:
The medicine tasted disgusting.
They had to eat revolting things, like fish eyes.
sweet tasting full of sugar:
The oranges were very sweet.
tasty especially spoken tasting good and with plenty of flavour:
She cooked us a simple but tasty meal.
That was really tasty!
sour/tart having a taste that stings your tongue slightly, like lemon does – used especially when this is rather unpleasant:
The apples were a little sour.
The wine has rather a tart taste, which not everyone will like.
tangy having a taste that stings your tongue slightly, like lemon does, in a way that seems good:
The dressing was nice and tangy.
bitter having a strong taste which is not sweet and is sometimes rather unpleasant – used for example about black coffee, or chocolate without sugar:
bitter chocolate
The medicine had rather a bitter taste.
Hops give beer its distinctive bitter taste.
salty containing a lot of salt:
Danish salami has a salty flavour.
hot/spicy having a burning taste because it contains strong spices:
I love hot curries.
a spicy tomato sauce
piquant /ˈpiːkənt/ formal a little spicy – used especially by people who write about food. This word can sound rather pretentious in everyday conversation:
cooked vegetables in a piquant sauce
mild not having a strong or hot taste – usually used about foods that can sometimes be spicy:
a mild curry
bland not having an interesting taste:
I found the sauce rather bland.
taste good/nice/delicious/great
The apples weren’t very big but they tasted good.
taste horrible/awful/disgusting/foul
The tea tasted horrible.
taste funny/odd/strange
These fruit drinks taste a bit funny until you get used to them.
taste sweet/bitter/sour/salty
He handed me some black stuff which tasted bitter.
taste strongly of something
The water tasted strongly of chlorine.
sweet-tasting/strong-tasting etc
a sweet-tasting drink

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

hot used especially when you feel uncomfortable:
I feel really hot.
The travellers were hot, tired, and thirsty.
warm a little hot, especially in a way that feels comfortable:
Are you warm enough?
We had to keep moving in order to keep warm.
boiling (hot) spoken very hot:
You must be boiling in that sweater!
‘I’m going for a swim,' said Gary. ’I’m boiling.'
I felt boiling hot and tried to open one of the windows.
feverish feeling very hot because you are ill:
His head ached and he felt feverish.
Hannah was slightly feverish, so we decided to call the doctor.
baking (hot) British English very hot and dry:
a baking hot afternoon
The weather was baking hot and conditions at the camp became unbearable.
It’s baking out there in the garden – I need a drink.
scorching (hot) very hot:
It was another scorching hot July day.
When we got there, the weather was scorching.
Arizona is scorching hot every day.
humid/muggy hot and damp:
This week sees a return to more humid conditions.
Hong Kong gets very humid at this time of year.
In June the weather was often muggy in the evenings.
It was a warm muggy afternoon, and it looked like it would rain.
like an oven much too hot in a way that is uncomfortable – used about rooms and buildings:
The inside of the shed was like an oven.
lukewarm /ˌluːkˈwɔːm◂ $ -ˈwɔːrm◂/ slightly warm, but not hot enough – used about liquids:
a cup of lukewarm coffee
The bath water was lukewarm.
delicious having a very good taste:
This cake is delicious!
a delicious meal
disgusting/revolting having a very bad taste:
The medicine tasted disgusting.
They had to eat revolting things, like fish eyes.
sweet tasting full of sugar:
The oranges were very sweet.
tasty especially spoken tasting good and with plenty of flavour:
She cooked us a simple but tasty meal.
That was really tasty!
sour/tart having a taste that stings your tongue slightly, like lemon does – used especially when this is rather unpleasant:
The apples were a little sour.
The wine has rather a tart taste, which not everyone will like.
tangy having a taste that stings your tongue slightly, like lemon does, in a way that seems good:
The dressing was nice and tangy.
bitter having a strong taste which is not sweet and is sometimes rather unpleasant – used for example about black coffee, or chocolate without sugar:
bitter chocolate
The medicine had rather a bitter taste.
Hops give beer its distinctive bitter taste.
salty containing a lot of salt:
Danish salami has a salty flavour.
hot/spicy having a burning taste because it contains strong spices:
I love hot curries.
a spicy tomato sauce
piquant /ˈpiːkənt/ formal a little spicy – used especially by people who write about food. This word can sound rather pretentious in everyday conversation:
cooked vegetables in a piquant sauce
mild not having a strong or hot taste – usually used about foods that can sometimes be spicy:
a mild curry
bland not having an interesting taste:
I found the sauce rather bland.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

sweet sweet food or drink has had sugar added or contains natural sugars:
Italian oranges are very sweet.
a cup of hot sweet tea
sugary sweet because a lot of sugar has been added:
Sugary foods are bad for your teeth.
sickly British English tasting unpleasantly sweet:
The dessert was rather sweet and sickly.
a sickly sweet fruit drink
cloying tasting or smelling unpleasantly sweet:
I find strawberry and peach drinks too cloying.
the cloying smell of fish oil
delicious having a very good taste:
This cake is delicious!
a delicious meal
disgusting/revolting having a very bad taste:
The medicine tasted disgusting.
They had to eat revolting things, like fish eyes.
tasty especially spoken tasting good and with plenty of flavour:
She cooked us a simple but tasty meal.
That was really tasty!
sour/tart having a taste that stings your tongue slightly, like lemon does – used especially when this is rather unpleasant:
The apples were a little sour.
The wine has rather a tart taste, which not everyone will like.
tangy having a taste that stings your tongue slightly, like lemon does, in a way that seems good:
The dressing was nice and tangy.
bitter having a strong taste which is not sweet and is sometimes rather unpleasant – used for example about black coffee, or chocolate without sugar:
bitter chocolate
The medicine had rather a bitter taste.
Hops give beer its distinctive bitter taste.
salty containing a lot of salt:
Danish salami has a salty flavour.
hot/spicy having a burning taste because it contains strong spices:
I love hot curries.
a spicy tomato sauce
piquant /ˈpiːkənt/ formal a little spicy – used especially by people who write about food. This word can sound rather pretentious in everyday conversation:
cooked vegetables in a piquant sauce
mild not having a strong or hot taste – usually used about foods that can sometimes be spicy:
a mild curry
bland not having an interesting taste:
I found the sauce rather bland.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

bitter
ˈbɪtə
See: to the bitter end

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲