as in sorrowfully
with feelings of bitterness or grief
cried bitterly after her grandmother died
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 bitterly
Taylor makes a persuasive case for how artists can grow, if incrementally and maybe bitterly, amid so much numbing digital noise.
—
Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2025
Fede knows the truth, but Roberto doesn’t, and Fede has held that over Antonio ever since, with Antonio bitterly blaming himself for his wife’s death.
—Dave Nemetz, TVLine, 12 Oct. 2025
Both the city of Chicago and the state of Illinois bitterly oppose the move and have launched legal action in a bid to block it.
—James Bickerton, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Oct. 2025
So far, the primary fight has been bitterly fought between Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, with a second Republican challenger increasing the odds of a runoff next May.
—David Sivak, The Washington Examiner, 7 Oct. 2025
Joe Garcia spoke bitterly about the decline of governance on both sides of the Straits of Florida.
—Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025
Tuesday, the two clashed bitterly at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.
—David Lightman, Sacbee.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Tom’s final epiphany related to his estranged son isn’t earned, but not because of Ruffalo; his performance cuts a fine line between bitterly self-destructive and warmly spiritual.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2025
San Francisco officials fought bitterly against Waymo and now-defunct Cruise robotaxis from General Motors, after their vehicles repeatedly blocked traffic and emergency vehicles, with Cruise the main perpetrator.
—Ethan Baron, Mercury News, 5 Sep. 2025
Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2025
Fede knows the truth, but Roberto doesn’t, and Fede has held that over Antonio ever since, with Antonio bitterly blaming himself for his wife’s death.
—Dave Nemetz, TVLine, 12 Oct. 2025
Both the city of Chicago and the state of Illinois bitterly oppose the move and have launched legal action in a bid to block it.
—James Bickerton, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Oct. 2025
So far, the primary fight has been bitterly fought between Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, with a second Republican challenger increasing the odds of a runoff next May.
—David Sivak, The Washington Examiner, 7 Oct. 2025
Joe Garcia spoke bitterly about the decline of governance on both sides of the Straits of Florida.
—Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025
Tuesday, the two clashed bitterly at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.
—David Lightman, Sacbee.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Tom’s final epiphany related to his estranged son isn’t earned, but not because of Ruffalo; his performance cuts a fine line between bitterly self-destructive and warmly spiritual.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2025
San Francisco officials fought bitterly against Waymo and now-defunct Cruise robotaxis from General Motors, after their vehicles repeatedly blocked traffic and emergency vehicles, with Cruise the main perpetrator.
—Ethan Baron, Mercury News, 5 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bitterly
Adverb
-
That’s because, sadly, many bat populations have declined in recent years due to factors including habitat loss, wind turbines, and white nose syndrome (WNS), a devastating fungal disease which disrupts their natural hibernation cycles.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
21 Oct. 2025
-
But, sadly for us, relationships are a bit messier than probability would have it.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
20 Oct. 2025
Adverb
-
Eastwood and Fitzgerald are barely in the movie long enough to register, Williams’ 30-something mom lacks any actual spirit, and Franco’s painfully earnest single dad can’t decide whether to keep his glasses on and off.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
22 Oct. 2025
-
Every New York Yankees fan is painfully aware of the rough season starting shortstop Anthony Volpe had in Year 3 as a big-leaguer.—
Jackson Roberts,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Oct. 2025
Adverb
-
In police bodycam footage shown in The Perfect Neighbor, Lorincz claims that Owens had been banging on her locked front door so hard that her house started shaking.—
Allison DeGrushe,
Entertainment Weekly,
20 Oct. 2025
-
Every day, we are inundated with imagery urging us to work harder, buy more … and never stop.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
20 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bitterly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bitterly. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share