BITTER

adj. 1 harsh, acerbic, acrid, sharp, caustic, mordant I added some cream to the sauce to try and make it taste less bitter 2 unappetizing, distasteful, unsavoury, unpleasant, hard (to swallow or take), irritating, obnoxious, disagreeable, nasty, painful, unwelcome, unpalatable The demand for additional tax payments was a bitter pill 3 miserable, grievous, dispiriting, distressing, cruel, distressful Dismissal after all those years in the firm was a bitter experience 4 resentful, embittered, rancorous; hateful Andrew felt bitter at not being selected as chairman 5 stinging, cutting, biting, harsh, reproachful, vicious, acrimonious, virulent; cruel, unkind, unpleasant, nasty His bitter denunciation of other candidates lost him the campaign 6 sharp, keen, cutting, severe, biting, cold, wintry, freezing A bitter gale lashed at the rigging