acrimonious

adjective

ac·​ri·​mo·​ni·​ous ˌa-krə-ˈmō-nē-əs How to pronounce acrimonious (audio)
: angry and bitter : caustic, biting, or rancorous especially in feeling, language, or manner
an acrimonious dispute
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
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Evans, a software engineer, ran an acrimonious campaign filled with insults and attacks. Taylor Seely, The Arizona Republic, 22 Nov. 2024 Money has also poured into this acrimonious race as Steel has questioned Tran’s proficiency in Vietnamese — an important point for the district’s influential bloc of Vietnamese voters — and sought to link him to the Chinese Community Party in ads. Grant Stringer, The Mercury News, 16 Nov. 2024 With the election a week away, the fallout over the remark has created an odd bookend to the acrimonious race between Jurado, a first-time candidate, and Councilmember Kevin de León, who represents part of L.A.’s Eastside. David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2024 While the exes were amicable at first, their co-parenting relationship grew acrimonious, Aletta said in the premiere episode of Scamanda. Jessica Sager, People.com, 17 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for acrimonious 

Word History

Etymology

acrimony + -ous

First Known Use

1651, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of acrimonious was in 1651

Dictionary Entries Near acrimonious

Cite this Entry

“Acrimonious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/acrimonious. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.

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