bitter
UK /ˈbɪt.ə/ · US /ˈbɪ.tɚ/ adjective, adverb, noun, verb, proper noun
Forms bitterer bitterest bitters bittering bittered
- adjective Having an acrid taste (usually from a basic substance). “The coffee tasted bitter.”
- adjective Harsh, piercing, acerbic or stinging.
- adjective Hateful or hostile. “They're bitter enemies.”
- adjective Cynical and resentful. “I've been bitter ever since that defeat.”
- adverb To an intense or severe degree; bitterly.
- noun (usually in the plural bitters) A liquid or powder, made from bitter herbs, used in mixed drinks or as a tonic.
- noun A type of beer heavily flavored with hops.
- noun (nautical) A turn of a cable about the bitts.
- verb (archaic) To make bitter.
- noun (computing, informal, in combination) A hardware system whose architecture is based around units of the specified number of bits (binary digits).
- proper noun A surname from Dutch or German.
Synonyms
jaded acrid caustic acerb acerbic bittersome sharp English pale ale EPA bitterness acrimonious acid blistering sulfurous sulphurous virulent vitriolic biting piercingly bitterly bitingly
Antonyms
Etymology
From Middle English bitter, bittre, from Old English bitter, biter (“bitter”), from Proto-West Germanic *bitr, from Proto-Germanic *bitraz (“bitter”), equivalent to bite + -er (agent noun suffix) used attributively. Cognate with Saterland Frisian, West Frisian, Low German, Danish, Dutch, German, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish bitter, Icelandic bitur (all meaning “bitter”).
Webster’s 1913
- noun AA turn of the cable which is round the bitts. Bitter end, that part of a cable which is abaft the bitts, and so within board, when the ship rides at anchor.
- adjective Having a peculiar, acrid, biting taste, like that of wormwood or an infusion of hops; as, a bitter medicine; bitter as aloes.
- adjective Causing pain or smart; piercing; painful; sharp; severe; as, a bitter cold day.
- noun Any substance that is bitter. See Bitters.
Etymology [See Bitts.]
Etymology [AS. biter; akin to Goth. baitrs, Icel. bitr, Dan., Sw., D., & G. bitter, OS. bittar, fr. root of E. bite. See Bite, v. t.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “bitter”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details