BITTERLY Synonyms: 90 Similar and Opposite Words

bitterly

adverb

Definition of bitterly

as in sorrowfully

with feelings of bitterness or grief cried bitterly after her grandmother died

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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 bitterly District 4 The District 4 race between Sharry Kimmel, of Parkland, and Nicole Morst, of Coral Springs, has turned into one of the most bitterly contested, with both candidates questioning the honesty of their opponent. — Scott Travis, Sun Sentinel, 14 Aug. 2026 Many clergy bitterly opposed the handover of the villages and criticized Pashinyan, who came to power in the South Caucasus nation amid a wave of hopeful, pro-democracy protests that swept Armenia in 2018. — Arkansas Online, 9 Aug. 2026 Congressional Republicans are headed into the home stretch ahead of a crucial midterm election year bitterly divided over their competing legislative priorities. — Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 4 Aug. 2026 There were riots, protests and a bitterly divisive war in Vietnam that looked intractable. — Steven Johnson, Washington Post, 14 July 2026 With a goalkeeping howler and a red card, Marcelo Bielsa’s side self-imploded at the end of a bitterly disappointing tournament. — Tim Spiers, New York Times, 3 July 2026 And the organization’s internal splinter groups, the Soviet-leaning Weatherman Underground and the Maoist-leaning Progressive Labor faction fought each other bitterly. — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 28 June 2026 Customers complained, some bitterly, and AMD heard and granted their demands. — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 22 June 2026 Those fans erupted when Harry Kane scored on a penalty kick in the 12th minute, and groaned bitterly when Baturina scored the equalizer some 20 minutes later. — Jim Barnes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bitterly

Adverb

Tarun would tease her, and my mother would look sorrowfully toward Kavitha, as if the two of them now shared some womanly burden.

— Madhuri Vijay, New Yorker, 16 Nov. 2025

Definition of sorrowfully

Adverb

Curry is largely there for comic relief, swanning in with a bevy of beauties, challenging Bosley (Bill Murray) to a sumo match, and, sadly, getting murdered by the pool, thus depriving us of Curry’s magnetic presence for the rest of the film.

— ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 26 Aug. 2026
The suite is named The Endeavour, after the airplane of a former owner’s daughter, aviatrix Elsie Mackay, who attempted to become the first woman to cross the Atlantic a year after Charles Lindbergh and sadly disappeared somewhere along the way.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of sadly

Adverb

Mayfield watched mournfully in his kitchen while the rest of the family sat in the living room with the big screen next to a Christmas tree.

— John Romano, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 July 2026
So is the moment early in the film when Mary mournfully looks on as her long-ago home faces demolition to make room for a big, featureless residential complex.

— Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 6 June 2026

Definition of mournfully

Adverb

History shows that trade imbalances of this scale almost always end painfully—and that the pain of the adjustment is not distributed evenly.

— MICHAEL PETTIS, Foreign Affairs, 28 Aug. 2026
No Me Arrepiento is more defined by a slow burn of emotions, beautifully and painfully put into words.

— Leila Cobo, Billboard, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of painfully

Browse Nearby Words

bitter

bitterly

bitterness

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

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Synonyms of bitterly

adverb

Example Sentences

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