Lexic.us

Definition of Bitter

1. Adverb. Extremely and sharply. "Bitter cold"

2. Adjective. Marked by strong resentment or cynicism. "Bitter about the divorce"

3. Verb. Make bitter.

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

5. Adjective. Very difficult to accept or bear. "A bitter sorrow"

6. Noun. The taste experience when quinine or coffee is taken into the mouth.

7. Adjective. Harsh or corrosive in tone. "A vitriolic critique"

8. Noun. The property of having a harsh unpleasant taste.

9. Adjective. Expressive of severe grief or regret. "Shed bitter tears"

10. Adjective. Proceeding from or exhibiting great hostility or animosity. "Bitter enemies"

11. Adjective. Causing a sharp and acrid taste experience. "Quinine is bitter"

12. Adjective. Causing a sharply painful or stinging sensation; used especially of cold. "A biting wind"

Definition of Bitter

1. n. AA turn of the cable which is round the bitts.

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

3. n. Any substance that is bitter. See Bitters.

4. v. t. To make bitter.

Definition of Bitter

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

2. Adjective. Harsh, piercing or stinging ¹

3. Adjective. Hateful or hostile ¹

4. Adjective. Cynical and resentful ¹

5. Noun. (context: usually in the plural bitters) A liquid or powder, made from bitter herbs, used in mixed drinks or as a tonic. ¹

6. Noun. A type of beer heavily flavored with hops. ¹

7. Noun. (context: nautical) A turn of a cable about the bitts. ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Definition of Bitter

1. having a disagreeable taste [adj -TERER, -TEREST] : BITTERLY [adv] / to make bitter [v -ED, -ING, -S] - See also: bitter

Medical Definition of Bitter

1. 1. Having a peculiar, acrid, biting taste, like that of wormwood or an infusion of hops; as, a bitter medicine; bitter as aloes. 2. Causing pain or smart; piercing; painful; sharp; severe; as, a bitter cold day. 3. Causing, or fitted to cause, pain or distress to the mind; calamitous; poignant. "It is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the Lord thy God." (Jer. Ii. 19) 4. Characterised by sharpness, severity, or cruelty; harsh; stern; virulent; as, bitter reproach. "Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them." (Col. Iii. 19) 5. Mournful; sad; distressing; painful; pitiable. "The Egyptians . . . Made their lives bitter with hard bondage." (Ex. I. 14) Bitter apple, Bitter cucumber, Bitter gourd. A name given to two European leguminous herbs, Vicia Orobus and Ervum Ervilia. To the bitter end, to the last extremity, however calamitous. Synonym: Acrid, sharp, harsh, pungent, stinging, cutting, severe, acrimonious. Origin: AS. Biter; akin to Goth. Baitrs, Icel. Bitr, Dan, Sw, D, & G. Bitter, OS. Bittar, fr. Root of E. Bite. See Bite. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998)

Lexicographical Neighbors of Bitter

bitstreams bitstring bitstrings bitsy bitt bitt-heads bitt-pin bitt-pins bitt pin bittacle

bittacles bitte bitted bitten bitten-to-the-quick bitter (current term) bitter-bark bitter almond bitter almond oil bitter aloes

bitter apple bitter betch bitter chocolate bitter cress bitter dock bitter end bitter ends bitter floom bitter hickory

Literary usage of Bitter

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. Publications by Folklore Society (Great Britain) (1908)
"“THE bitter WITHY” BALLAD. PROFESSOR CHILD'S magnificent collection of The ... fact that a ballad or carol variously known as The bitter Withy, The Withies, ..."

2. Notes and Queries by Martim de Albuquerque (1881)
"“ The bitter end “ is clearly an old nautical expression, dating long prior to the modern use of the phrase. Bailey's Dictionary, 1721, has “ Bite,” a turn ..."

3. Poetry by Modern Poetry Association (1915)
"SIX LYRICS I AM WEARY OF BEING bitter I am weary of being bitter and weary of being wise, And the armor and the mask of these fall from me, after long. ..."

4. Pharmacographia; a History of the Principal Drugs of Vegetable Origin, Met by Friedrich August Flückiger, Daniel Hanbury (1879)
"The dangerous action of hydrocyanic was then ascertained in 1802 and 1803 by Schaub and Schrader.1' Description — bitter almonds agree in outward appearance ..."

5. Hand-book of Chemistry by Leopold Gmelin, Henry Watts (1848)
"bitter almond oil, in contact with oxygen gas either dry or moist, or with the air, absorbs oxygen, and is con verted into benzoic acid (A. Vogel, Stange, ..."

6. The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan (1860)
"Then said the visitor, Christiana, the bitter is before the sweet. Thou must through troubles, as did he that went before thee, enter this Celestial City. ..."

Other Resources: