bitter

The word "bitter" is an adjective used to describe taste, temperature, and emotional feelings.

If something tastes "bitter," it has a strong, unusual affect on the tongue that is not completely unpleasant. Some people really like bitter food and bitter drinks; others don’t like it.

• Beer can taste bitter
• My friend, Jeremiah, loves ale because it tastes bitter.
• If coffee is really strong, it can taste bitter.
• Sarah likes to drink coffee because of its bitter taste.
• Dark chocolate can taste bitter. That’s why some people don’t like it. It’s not sweet like milk chocolate.
• Dark chocolate is appreciated for its bitterness. (The word "bitterness" is a noun.)

When using the word "bitter" to describe a temperature, it’s very cold.

• People who live in Minnesota pride themselves on their hardiness and ability to survive the bitter cold.
• A bitterly cold mass of air has moved into the area from the Arctic.
• A guy I know lost some of his toes to frostbite because of exposure to the bitter cold.

The bitter cold terrifies this guy!

If a person is feeling bitter, he or she is very unhappy about a situation.

• Todd and his wife went through a bitter divorce which resulted from his infidelity.
• The divorce settlement left Todd feeling bitter about the justice system.
• Clara feels bitter about the the company that she worked for for 30 years and how they treated her as she neared retirement.
• Her bitterness is made worse by aches and pains in her back and feet caused by the work that she did for the company.

Click here for more vocabulary.

January 29, 2019