Bitterly

How to spell bitterly

8 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce bitterly

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does bitterly mean?

1. adverbIn a way that shows intense resentment, grief, or harshness, or with painful, biting severity.

Bitterly in a sentence

• She complained bitterly about the unfair workload her manager had assigned.

• The two former partners are still bitterly divided over who owns the company.

Where does bitterly come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This word is built on the adjective 'bitter', which descends from the Old English 'biter', meaning 'sharp', 'cutting', or 'harsh to the taste'. That adjective is closely tied to the verb 'bitan', 'to bite', so the original idea was of a taste that seems to bite the tongue, much as a sharp tooth bites flesh. From the literal sense of a stinging flavour the meaning spread to emotions and weather, describing grief, resentment, and cold that feel sharp and painful. The adverb form simply adds the productive English ending '-ly', which itself comes from Old English '-lice', meaning roughly 'in the manner of'. The doubled 't' in the middle is the spelling point worth noting, since the word keeps both consonants of 'bitter' before the suffix is attached.

How the word is built

• bitter (sharp-tasting, harsh; from Old English biter)
• -ly (adverb suffix)