Definitions for bitter
ˈbɪt ərbit·ter

Princeton's WordNet(4.00 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

1. bitter(noun)

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

2. bitter, bitterness(noun)

   the taste experience when quinine or coffee is taken into the mouth

3. bitterness, bitter(adj)

   the property of having a harsh unpleasant taste

4. acrimonious, bitter(adj)

   marked by strong resentment or cynicism

   "an acrimonious dispute"; "bitter about the divorce"

5. bitter(adj)

   very difficult to accept or bear

   "the bitter truth"; "a bitter sorrow"

6. acerb, acerbic, acid, acrid, bitter, blistering, caustic, sulfurous, sulphurous, virulent, vitriolic(adj)

   harsh or corrosive in tone

   "an acerbic tone piercing otherwise flowery prose"; "a barrage of acid comments"; "her acrid remarks make her many enemies"; "bitter words"; "blistering criticism"; "caustic jokes about political assassination, talk-show hosts and medical ethics"; "a sulfurous denunciation"; "a vitriolic critique"

7. bitter(adj)

   expressive of severe grief or regret

   "shed bitter tears"

8. bitter(adj)

   proceeding from or exhibiting great hostility or animosity

   "a bitter struggle"; "bitter enemies"

9. bitter(adj)

   causing a sharp and acrid taste experience;"quinine is bitter"

10. biting, bitter(verb)

    causing a sharply painful or stinging sensation; used especially of cold

    "bitter cold"; "a biting wind"

11. bitter(adverb)

    make bitter

12. piercingly, bitterly, bitingly, bitter(adverb)

    extremely and sharply

    "it was bitterly cold"; "bitter cold"

Wiktionary(4.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. bitter(Noun)

   A liquid or powder, made from bitter herbs, used in mixed drinks or as a tonic.

2. bitter(Noun)

   A type of beer heavily flavored with hops.

3. bitter(Noun)

   A turn of a cable about the bitts.

4. bitter(Adjective)

   Having an acrid taste (usually from a basic substance)

   The coffee was bitter.

5. bitter(Adjective)

   Harsh, piercing or stinging

6. bitter(Adjective)

   Hateful or hostile

   They're bitter enemies.

7. bitter(Adjective)

   Cynical and resentful

   I've been bitter ever since that defeat.

Webster Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Bitter(noun)

   aA turn of the cable which is round the bitts

2. Bitter(verb)

   having a peculiar, acrid, biting taste, like that of wormwood or an infusion of hops; as, a bitter medicine; bitter as aloes

3. Bitter(verb)

   causing pain or smart; piercing; painful; sharp; severe; as, a bitter cold day

4. Bitter(verb)

   causing, or fitted to cause, pain or distress to the mind; calamitous; poignant

5. Bitter(verb)

   characterized by sharpness, severity, or cruelty; harsh; stern; virulent; as, bitter reproach

6. Bitter(verb)

   mournful; sad; distressing; painful; pitiable

7. Bitter(noun)

   any substance that is bitter. See Bitters

8. Bitter(verb)

   to make bitter

Freebase(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Bitter

   Bitter is an English term for pale ale. Bitters vary in colour from gold to dark amber and in strength from 3% to 7% alcohol by volume.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Bitter

   bit′ėr, adj. biting or acrid to the taste: sharp: painful.—n. any substance having a bitter taste.—adj. Bitt′erish.—adv. Bitt′erly.—n. Bitt′erness.—n.pl. Bitt′ers, a liquid prepared from bitter herbs or roots, and used as a stomachic.—n. Bitt′er-sweet, the Woody Nightshade, a slender, climbing hedge-plant, having red poisonous berries, said to be named from its root, when chewed, having first a bitter, then a sweet taste: (Shak.) an apple that has a compound taste of sweet and bitter: a mixture of sweet and bitter. [A.S. bítan, to bite.]

2. Bitter

   (Spens.), used for Bittern.

Dictionary of Nautical Terms(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. bitter

   Any turn of a cable about the bitts is called a bitter. Hence a ship is "brought up to a bitter" when the cable is allowed to run out to that stop.

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'bitter' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #3873

2. Adjectives Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'bitter' in Adjectives Frequency: #518

How to pronounce bitter?

1. 

   Alex

   US English

   

   Daniel

   British

   

   Karen

   Australian

   

   Veena

   Indian

How to say bitter in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of bitter in Chaldean Numerology is: 9

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of bitter in Pythagorean Numerology is: 2

Examples of bitter in a Sentence

1. Hossein Rassam:

   This was a bitter defeat for Ayatollah Rafsanjani. It demonstrated the biting reality that Rafsanjani is no longer a pillar of the Islamic Republic to powerful hardliners, even though he is still very influential.

2. Samuel Goldwyn:

   You've got to take the bitter with the sour.

3. James Baldwin:

   Americans, unhappily, have the most remarkable ability to alchemize all bitter truths into an innocuous but piquant confection and to transform their moral contradictions, or public discussion of such contradictions, into a proud decoration, such as are given for heroism on the battle field.

4. Samuel Johnson:

   Of all the griefs that harass the distrest, Sure the most bitter is a scornful jest.

5. Deutsche Telekom:

   The auction leaves a bitter aftertaste.

Images & Illustrations of bitter

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