acrimonious

adjective

ˌa-krə-ˈmō-nē-əs How to pronounce acrimonious (audio)
Definition of acrimoniousnext
as in angry
having or showing deep-seated resentment an acrimonious parting between the two former friends

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of acrimonious Wednesday’s debate was acrimonious almost from the beginning, with the two interrupting each other throughout the night. — Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2026 Pitt first began to open up somewhat about his substance abuse problems and recovery journey following his acrimonious 2016 split from Angelina Jolie. — Martha Ross, Mercury News, 10 Aug. 2026 Ariana Grande’s art is in acrimonious conversation with its spectators. — Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 3 Aug. 2026 His appointment, confirmed by Malago at a meeting of the FIGC board today (Tuesday), comes after an acrimonious 72 hours in Italian football. — James Horncastle, New York Times, 28 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for acrimonious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for acrimonious
  1. angry
  2. rancorous
  3. sore
  4. cynical
  5. bitter
  6. embittered
  7. acrid
  8. resentful
Adjective
  • But some of it is about the cultural change that people argue about, on their phones, with the other angry people that their algorithm has found for them.
    — David Weigel, semafor.com, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Pretendian hunters tend to be painted as aggressive or angry, which ultimately serves to undermine their claims.
    — Tommy Orange, Vulture, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of angry
Adjective
  • Simmering in the background is a rancorous debate on whether to restrict Chinese AI models.
    — Andy Browne, semafor.com, 11 Aug. 2026
  • His supporters rewarded him with a landslide victory, then held their tongues as the Conservative leader bowed to rancorous calls to resign amid the Partygate scandal after three years in office.
    — Tristan Bove, Fortune, 23 June 2026
Definition of rancorous
Adjective
  • Meanwhile, Mason Black headed back to the minors and Beck Way returned from his rehab assignment (sore shoulder).
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 28 Aug. 2026
  • But his record of publicly interacting with Piker — including at a pool party just before the primary — remains a sore point among some Michigan Democrats.
    — Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of sore
Adjective
  • And his cynical dealings in Washington foreshadowed a toxification of US politics that now runs rampant.
    — Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2026
  • The cynical explanation is that the Treasury Secretary is playing politics.
    — John Cassidy, New Yorker, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of cynical
Adjective
  • Trump has declined so far to endorse a successor, opting to keep his cards close ahead of what’s likely to be a bitter race.
    — Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 29 Aug. 2026
  • If more than a small portion is green, or the potato smells off, feels soft, or tastes bitter after cooking, discard it.
    — Anne Wolf, Martha Stewart, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of bitter
Adjective
  • The phone-comedy discussion followed a scene in which Julie Kessler and Billy Epstein, the proudly embittered struggling comedians played by Klausner and Eichner, confront an up-and-coming digital creator.
    — Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Given the fact that the match is in Canada with an embittered Sami Zayn costing his best friend the match, Zayn may see another WWE world title opportunity.
    — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of embittered
Adjective
  • All law enforcement smell the same, like acrid bile buried in roses.
    — Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Finding places to play Eight miles from central Nairobi, the air over the Dandora landfill is gauzy with the acrid, chemical smoke of burning garbage.
    — Ryan Lenora Brown, Christian Science Monitor, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of acrid
Adjective
  • By gradually accomplishing a de-facto annexation of the West Bank, the settlements would require Israeli Jews either to rule over a resentful non-Jewish population of about equal size or to surrender the Jewish identity of their state.
    — David D. Kirkpatrick, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Thus, our heroes must peel themselves off from the couch and go on the run with their resentful felines Dio and GG bouncing along in backpacks.
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of resentful

Browse Nearby Words

acridness
acrimonious
acrimoniously
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Acrimonious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/acrimonious. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of dissonant

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All