Complete classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
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bitter

adjective · noun US /ˈbɪtər/

marked by strong resentment or cynicism

How often you will meet it

Rank 1,389 of 71,295 words measured. It occurs 13,245 times across 155,139 chapters — 0.006% of every word in the library.

What it means

adjective

  1. marked by strong resentment or cynicism also: acrimonious an acrimonious disputebitter about the divorce
  2. very difficult to accept or bear the bitter trutha bitter sorrow
  3. harsh or corrosive in tone also: acerb, acerbic, acid, acrid, blistering, caustic an acerbic tone piercing otherwise flowery prosea barrage of acid comments
  4. expressive of severe grief or regret shed bitter tears
  5. proceeding from or exhibiting great hostility or animosity a bitter strugglebitter enemies
  6. causing a sharp and acrid taste experience quinine is bitter

noun

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

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

bitter in real books

Each sentence below was written by a published author and is taken from a different book in our library. Open one to read the passage it came from, with narration.

  • What remembrances, bitter or sweet, came over the widower's heart, Heaven knows!

    Christian's Mistake · Dinah Maria Mulock Craik · Chapter 1

  • In elf-caprice of bitter tone I too would pelt the pelted one: At my shadow I cast a stone.

    John Marr and Other Poems · Herman Melville · Chapter 1

  • The latter saw him; grew very excited, cursed him and drove him from his farm with bitter oaths and violent threats.

    The Red Record Tabulated Statistics · Ida B. Wells-Barnett · Chapter 1

  • Tonight through the soreness of a bitter disappointment he put his finger on the highest note of his character and resolved.

    The Courage of the Commonplace · Mary Raymond Shipman Andrews · Chapter 1

  • At first Cambyses looked angrily at him and his rent garments, and then asked with a bitter smile; "What do you want?"

    An Egyptian Princess — Volume 07 · Georg Ebers · Chapter 1

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