acrimony

noun

ac·​ri·​mo·​ny ˈa-krə-ˌmō-nē 

plural acrimonies

: anger and bitterness : harsh or biting sharpness especially of words, manner, or feelings

The dispute continued with increased acrimony.

Synonyms

• acidity
• acidness
• acridity
• acridness
• asperity
• bile
• bitterness
• cattiness
• corrosiveness
• mordancy
• tartness
• virulence
• virulency
• vitriol

Examples of acrimony in a Sentence

The dispute began again with increased acrimony.

she responded with such acrimony that he never brought the subject up again

Recent Examples on the Web

Biden, 82, left the traditional letter for his successor in the Resolute Desk of the Oval Office, CNN reported, a tradition that Trump upheld in 2021 even amid the epic acrimony over his election loss. —Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 20 Jan. 2025

And all of it — the collaboration and competition, friction and fondness, acrimony and empathy — is better than any kiss could have been. —Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 26 June 2024

His stints in Chicago, Minnesota, Philadelphia, and now Miami have all ended with varying degrees of acrimony. —Brian Sampson, Forbes, 3 Jan. 2025

The acrimony over the H-1B in recent days spiraled after far-right activist Laura Loomer attacked H-1B as a threat to American workers and national security. —Don Lee, Los Angeles Times, 31 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French acrimonie, borrowed from Latin ācrimōnia, from ācr-, ācer "sharp, biting, keen" + -mōnia, suffix of abstract nouns (going back to the Indo-European noun-forming suffix *-mĕ̄n-/*-mŏ̄n- + the abstract noun formative *-i-) — more at acr-

First Known Use

1542, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

acrimony

noun

ac·​ri·​mo·​ny ˈak-rə-ˌmō-nē 

plural acrimonies

: harsh or biting sharpness especially of words, manner, or disposition

acrimonious

ˌak-rə-ˈmō-nē-əs

adjective

acrimoniously adverb

acrimoniousness noun