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Added 9 October 2026

bitterness

/ˈbɪtənəs/ noun

In Latin: acerbitās, amāritās, amāritiēs Wiktionary

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about bitterness at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

The quality of having a bitter taste.
The quality of feeling bitter; acrimony, resentment; the quality of exhibiting such feelings.
the bitterness of his words
The quality of eliciting a bitter, humiliating or harsh feeling.
Nothing could assuage the bitterness of their defeat.

Origin

From Middle English bitternesse, biternesse, from Old English biternes (“bitterness; grief”), equivalent to bitter + -ness.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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