ac·ri·mo·ni·ous

(ăk′rə-mō′nē-əs)

adj.

Bitter and sharp in language or tone; rancorous: an acrimonious debate between the two candidates.

ac′ri·mo′ni·ous·ly adv.

ac′ri·mo′ni·ous·ness n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

acrimonious

(ˌækrɪˈməʊnɪəs)

adj

characterized by bitterness or sharpness of manner, speech, temper, etc

ˌacriˈmoniously adv

ˌacriˈmoniousness n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

ac•ri•mo•ni•ous

(ˌæk rəˈmoʊ ni əs)

adj.

caustic, stinging, or bitter in nature, speech, behavior, etc.: an acrimonious dispute.

[1605–15; < Medieval Latin]

ac`ri•mo′ni•ous•ly, adv.

ac`ri•mo′ni•ous•ness, n.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Adj.

acrimonious - marked by strong resentment or cynicism; "an acrimonious dispute"; "bitter about the divorce"

bitter

resentful - full of or marked by resentment or indignant ill will; "resentful at the way he was treated"; "a sullen resentful attitude"

acrimonious

adjective bitter, cutting, biting, sharp, severe, hostile, crabbed, sarcastic, embittered, caustic, petulant, spiteful, churlish, astringent, vitriolic, acerbic, trenchant, irascible, testy, censorious, rancorous, mordant, peevish, splenetic, mordacious The acrimonious debate on the agenda ended indecisively.
forgiving, benign, affable, good-tempered

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

acrimonious

adjective

Bitingly hostile:

bitter, embittered, hard, rancorous, resentful, virulent.

Translations

acerbe âcre acrimonieux aigu amer

accanito acrimonia acrimonioso astioso

язвительный

acrimonious

[ˌækrɪˈməʊnɪəs] ADJ [argument] → reñido, enconado; [debate, meeting, exchange] → reñido; [divorce, break-up] → amargo; [remark] → mordaz, cáustico

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

acrimonious

[ˌækrɪˈməʊnɪəs] adj [debate, split, departure, divorce] → acrimonieux/euse

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

acrimonious

adj discussion, argument → erbittert; person, words → bissig; divorce → verbittert ausgefochten

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

acrimonious

[ˌækrɪˈməʊnɪəs] adj (frm) (remark) → astioso/a, malevolo/a; (argument) → aspro/a

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

Mentioned in

References in classic literature

The sarcastic tone of this reply might have provoked a rather acrimonious retort from Miss Squeers, who, besides being of a constitutionally vicious temper--aggravated, just now, by travel and recent jolting--was somewhat irritated by old recollections and the failure of her own designs upon Mr Browdie; and the acrimonious retort might have led to a great many other retorts, which might have led to Heaven knows what, if the subject of conversation had not been, at that precise moment, accidentally changed by Mr Squeers himself

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My mother was all American - no alkali-spider about HER, I can tell you; she was of the best blood of Kentucky, the bluest Blue-grass aristocracy, very proud and acrimonious - or maybe it is ceremonious.

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We only had one brief little season of heaven and heaven's sweet ecstasy and peace during all this long and diligent and acrimonious reproduction of the other place.

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Resigned after acrimonious correspondence same year.

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To one or two rather officious offers of sympathy, her responses were little short of acrimonious; and, we regret to say, Hepzibah was thrown into a positively unchristian state of mind by the suspicion that one of her customers was drawn to the shop, not by any real need of the article which she pretended to seek, but by a wicked wish to stare at her.

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He meant no harm - it was only his joyous, playful spirit; and I, by my acrimonious resentment - so serious, so disproportioned to the offence - have so wounded his feelings, so deeply offended him, that I fear he will never forgive me - and all for a mere jest!

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It may have been that Mrs Lammle tried in some manner to excuse her conduct to herself by depreciating the poor little victim of whom she spoke with acrimonious contempt.

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Whether he kept a watch over himself, or whether by accident he did not sound the acrimonious chords that in other circumstances had been touched, he was to-night like everybody else.

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Then came domestic details, lamentations over the excessive dearness of potatoes, or the length of the winter and the high price of block fuel, together with forcible representations of amounts owing to the baker, ending in an acrimonious dispute, in the course of which such couples reveal their characters in picturesque language.

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"Listen to her; she has the audacity!" said Tristram, who on Sunday evenings was always rather acrimonious.

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Councillors approved the troubled project following an acrimonious special meeting yesterday - meaning it will be completed within the next 18 months.

My Ness project approved following fiery meeting; RIVERSIDE

THE recent meeting between Prime Minister Imran Khan and US President Donald Trump should serve to end the acrimonious relationship between the two countries.

Pakistan-US ties (1)