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bitter

noun · adverb · adjective

Form of bit , comparative of bit.

Simple meaning

To an intense or severe degree.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

biter

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US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈbɪtɚ

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. usually in the plural bitters

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

  2. A type of beer heavily flavored with hops.

adverb

  1. To an intense or severe degree; bitterly.

adjective

  1. Having an acrid taste (usually from a basic substance).

  2. Harsh, piercing, acerbic or stinging.

  3. Hateful or hostile.

  4. Cynical and resentful.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
B1 · Intermediate (estimated)
Frequency
Moderately Common
Typical Use
Neutral / general English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: Having an acrid taste (usually from a basic substance).

Used this way, bitter is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
No strong connotation
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use bitter

  • “I've been bitter ever since that defeat.”adjective

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

Taste

bitter tastebitter experience

Other combinations

bitter endbitter pillbitter strugglebitter disappointmentbitter tearsbitter opposition

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Word family

Words built from the same root.

  • bitterlyadverbDerived adverb

    With bitterness.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • bitter cassavanounCompound term

    Cassava with long tuberous edible roots and soft brittle stems.

  • bitter chocolatenounCompound term

    Pure unsweetened chocolate used in baking and icings and sauces and candy.

  • bitter cressnounCompound term

    Any of various herbs of the genus Cardamine, having usually pinnate leaves and racemes of white, pink or purple flowers.

  • bitter docknounCompound term

    European dock with broad obtuse leaves and bitter rootstock common as a weed in North America.

  • bitter endnounCompound term

    The final extremity (however unpleasant it may be).

  • bitter floomnounCompound term

    Any of several pink-flowered marsh plant of the eastern United States resembling a true centaury.

Related words

Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.

  • bitternessnounRelated term

    A feeling of deep and bitter anger and ill-will.

  • bitternut hickorynounRelated term

    Hickory of the eastern United States having a leaves with 7 or 9 leaflets and thin-shelled very bitter nuts.

  • bitterwood treenounRelated term

    Any of various trees or shrubs of the family Simaroubaceae having wood and bark with a bitter taste.

Related Words

Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.