acrimonious
adjective
ac·ri·mo·ni·ous
ˌa-krə-ˈmō-nē-əs 
acrimoniously
adverb
acrimoniousness
noun
Examples of acrimonious in a Sentence
Each man came out of their acrimonious 200-meter showdown on July 23 with an injured hamstring and a decidedly negative vibe.
—
Tim Layden, Sports Illustrated, 11 Sept. 2000
My May 19, 1967, memorandum to the president unleashed a storm of controversy. … It led to tense and acrimonious Senate hearings that pitted me against the Joint Chiefs of Staff and generated rumors they intended to resign en masse.
—Robert McNamara, In Retrospect, 1995
But considering the momentousness of the issue, the original Darwinian debate was far less acrimonious than might have been expected …
—Gertrude Himmelfarb, American Scholar, Autumn 1981
We could tell, however, when debate became more acrimonious than professional, but this was from watching lawyers other than our father.
—Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird, 1960
He went through an acrimonious divorce.
an acrimonious parting between the two former friends
Tim Layden, Sports Illustrated, 11 Sept. 2000
My May 19, 1967, memorandum to the president unleashed a storm of controversy. … It led to tense and acrimonious Senate hearings that pitted me against the Joint Chiefs of Staff and generated rumors they intended to resign en masse.
—Robert McNamara, In Retrospect, 1995
But considering the momentousness of the issue, the original Darwinian debate was far less acrimonious than might have been expected …
—Gertrude Himmelfarb, American Scholar, Autumn 1981
We could tell, however, when debate became more acrimonious than professional, but this was from watching lawyers other than our father.
—Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird, 1960
He went through an acrimonious divorce.
an acrimonious parting between the two former friends
Recent Examples on the Web
The startup is competing with AI firms such as OpenAI, which Musk co-founded before an acrimonious split with that company.
—Bloomberg News, Boston Herald, 29 Mar. 2025
Smith directly references his acrimonious relationship with the Oscars after slapping then-host Chris Rock in 2022.
—Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 28 Mar. 2025
Lydon originally split with the band after an acrimonious show at San Francisco’s Winterland in 1978.
—Jim Harrington, Mercury News, 28 Mar. 2025
Netanyahu’s effort to remove Ronen Bar as director of the Shin Bet follows an increasingly acrimonious dispute that also involves the security service’s investigation into close aides of the prime minister.
—Melanie Lidman, Los Angeles Times, 16 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for acrimonious
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.
Bloomberg News, Boston Herald, 29 Mar. 2025
Smith directly references his acrimonious relationship with the Oscars after slapping then-host Chris Rock in 2022.
—Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 28 Mar. 2025
Lydon originally split with the band after an acrimonious show at San Francisco’s Winterland in 1978.
—Jim Harrington, Mercury News, 28 Mar. 2025
Netanyahu’s effort to remove Ronen Bar as director of the Shin Bet follows an increasingly acrimonious dispute that also involves the security service’s investigation into close aides of the prime minister.
—Melanie Lidman, Los Angeles Times, 16 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for acrimonious
Cite this Entry
“Acrimonious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/acrimonious. Accessed 15 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share