The meaning of BITTER is being, inducing, or marked by the one of the five basic taste sensations that is peculiarly acrid, astringent, and often disagreeable and characteristic of citrus peels, unsweetened cocoa, black coffee, mature leafy greens (such as kale or mustard), or ale. Bitter means "having a sharp or harsh flavor." Bitter describes a particular pungent taste, like the sharpness of very dark chocolate (which is sometimes called bittersweet for its mixture of the two flavors). distressful: a bitter sorrow.

Understanding the Context

causing pain; piercing; stinging: a bitter chill. characterized by intense antagonism or hostility: bitter hatred. hard to admit or accept: a bitter lesson. resentful or cynical: bitter words.

Key Insights

n. that which is bitter; bitterness: Learn to take the bitter with the sweet. [Brit.]a very dry ale having a strong taste ... BITTER meaning: 1. Someone who is bitter is angry and unhappy because they cannot forget bad things that happened….

Final Thoughts

Learn more. 1. having a harsh, acrid taste. 2. producing one of the four basic taste sensations; not sour, sweet, or salt. Definition of bitter adjective in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more. There are 19 meanings listed in OED's entry for the word bitter, three of which are labelled obsolete. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence. Learn the meaning of Bitter with clear definitions and helpful usage examples.