- bitter
- [[t]bɪ̱tə(r)[/t]]
♦♦♦bitterest, bitters1) ADJ-GRADED In a bitter argument or conflict, people argue very angrily or fight very fiercely.
...the scene of bitter fighting during the Second World War.
...a bitter attack on the Government's failure to support manufacturing...
On the eve of the poll, campaigning was bitter.
Derived words:bitterly ADV-GRADED usu ADV with v, also ADV adjAny such thing would be bitterly opposed by most of the world's democracies.
...a bitterly fought football match.
bitterness N-UNCOUNTThe rift within the organization reflects the growing bitterness of the dispute.
2) ADJ-GRADED If someone is bitter after a disappointing experience or after being treated unfairly, they continue to feel angry about it.She is said to be very bitter about the way she was sacked...
His long life was marked by bitter personal and political memories.
Derived words:bitterly ADV-GRADED usu ADV with v, also ADV adj`And he sure didn't help us,' Grant said bitterly.
...the party bureaucrats who bitterly resented their loss of power.
bitterness N-UNCOUNTI still feel bitterness and anger towards the person who knocked me down.
3) ADJ-GRADED: usu ADJ n A bitter experience makes you feel very disappointed. You can also use bitter to emphasize feelings of disappointment.I think the decision was a bitter blow from which he never quite recovered...
A great deal of bitter experience had taught him how to lose gracefully...
The statement was greeted with bitter disappointment by many of the other delegates.
Derived words:bitterly ADV-GRADED ADV adj, ADV with vI was bitterly disappointed to have lost yet another race so near the finish.
4) ADJ-GRADED Bitter weather, or a bitter wind, is extremely cold.Outside, a bitter east wind was accompanied by flurries of snow.
...after spending a night in the bitter cold.
Derived words:bitterly ADV ADV adjIt's been bitterly cold here in Moscow.
5) ADJ-GRADED A bitter taste is sharp, not sweet, and often slightly unpleasant.The leaves taste rather bitter.
...as the wine ages, losing its bitter harshness, and becoming softer and smoother.
Ant:6) N-MASS Bitter is a kind of beer that is light brown in colour. [BRIT]...a pint of bitter.
7) PHRASE: PHR after v (emphasis) If you say that you will continue doing something to the bitter end, especially something difficult or unpleasant, you are emphasizing that you will continue doing it until it is completely finished.The guerrillas would fight to the bitter end, he said, in order to achieve their main goal.
English dictionary. 2008.
