bitter

English

English Wikipedia has an article on:

bitter

Wikipedia

Pronunciation

(Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈbɪt.ə/, [ˈbɪt.ʰə], (colloquially also) [ˈbɪʔ.ə]
(General American) IPA^(key): /ˈbɪ.tɚ/, [ˈbɪ.ɾɚ]
Audio (US): (file)
Homophone: bidder (in some dialects)
Hyphenation: bit‧ter
Rhymes: -ɪtə(ɹ)

Etymology 1

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *bʰidrós

Proto-Germanic *bitraz

Proto-West Germanic *bitr

Old English biter

Middle English bittre

English bitter

From Middle English bitter, bittre, from Old English bitter, biter (“bitter”), from Proto-West Germanic *bitr, from Proto-Germanic *bitraz (“bitter”), equivalent to bite +‎ -er (agent noun suffix) used attributively. Cognate with Saterland Frisian, West Frisian, Low German, Danish, Dutch, German, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish bitter, Icelandic bitur (all meaning “bitter”).

Adjective

bitter (comparative more bitter or bitterer, superlative most bitter or bitterest)

Having an acrid taste (usually from a basic substance).
The coffee tasted bitter.
- 1907 August, Robert W[illiam] Chambers, chapter III, in The Younger Set, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC:
  Long after his cigar burnt bitter, he sat with eyes fixed on the blaze. When the flames at last began to flicker and subside, his lids fluttered, then drooped; but he had lost all reckoning of time when he opened them again to find Miss Erroll in furs and ball-gown kneeling on the hearth […].
- 2018 May 16, Adam Rogers, “The Fundamental Nihilism of Yanny vs. Laurel”, in Wired:
  A few types of molecules get sensed by receptors on the tongue. Protons coming off of acids ping receptors for "sour." Sugars get received as "sweet." Bitter, salty, and the proteinaceous flavor umami all set off their own neural cascades.
Harsh, piercing, acerbic or stinging.
- 1999, Neil Gaiman, Stardust, p.31 (Perennial paperback edition)
  It was at the end of February, […] when the world was cold, and a bitter wind howled down the moors […].
Hateful or hostile.
They're bitter enemies.
- 2022 October 1, Phil McNulty, “Arsenal 3-1 Tottenham: Gunners show identity & direction in outstanding derby win”, in BBC Sport‎^[1]:
  Tottenham have not won in the Premier League at Emirates Stadium for 12 years, with Arsenal losing just one of their last 29 home league games against their bitter rivals.
- 1749, Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), London: A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC:
  He inveighed against the folly of making oneself liable for the debts of others; vented many bitter execrations against the brother; and concluded with wishing something could be done for the unfortunate family.
- 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Colossians 3:19:
  Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them.
Cynical and resentful.
I've been bitter ever since that defeat.

Usage notes

The comparative forms bitterer and bitterest are less common than their counterparts more bitter and most bitter.

Synonyms

acrid, caustic
(cynical and resentful): jaded

Antonyms

(antonym(s) of “cynical and resentful”): optimistic

Derived terms

Descendants

Sranan Tongo: bita

Translations

having an acrid taste — see also tart,‎ acrid

Akkadian: 𒋀 m (marrum)
Aklanon: mapait
Albanian: hidhur (sq)
Amharic: መራራ (märara)
Arabic: مُرّ (ar) (murr)
Egyptian Arabic: مر (murr)
Argobba: መራራ (märārā)
Armenian: դառն (hy) (daṙn), կծու (hy) (kcu), մռու (hy) (mṙu)
Aromanian: amar
Assamese: তিতা (tita)
Asturian: amargu (ast)
Azerbaijani: acı (az), mürr
Basque: mingots
Belarusian: го́ркі (hórki)
Bengali: তিতা (bn) (tita)
Bhojpuri: तीत (tīt)
Bikol:
Central Bikol: mapait
Breton: c'hwerv (br)
Buginese: pai
Bulgarian: горчив (bg) (gorčiv)
Burmese: ခါး (my) (hka:)
Catalan: amarg (ca)
Cebuano: pait
Chamicuro: pshawa
Chechen: къаьхьа (qʼäḥʳa)
Chin:
Tedim Chin: kha
Chinese:
Cantonese: 苦 (fu²)

Mandarin: 苦澀 / 苦涩 (zh) (kǔsè), 苦 (zh) (kǔ)
Czech: hořký (cs) m
Dalmatian: amur, amuor, marcus
Danish: bitter (da)
Dutch: bitter (nl)
Dzongkha: ཁག་དྲགས (khag drags)
Esperanto: amara (eo)
Estonian: mõru, kibe (et)
Even: гот (got)
Ewe: veve
Faroese: beiskur
Fijian: qona
Finnish: kitkerä (fi), karvas (fi)
French: amer (fr)
Friulian: amar, amâr
Galician: amargo (gl)
Gallurese: ràncicu
Georgian: მწარე (mc̣are)
German: bitter (de); (in a pleasant way, as in beer) herb (de)
Gothic: 𐌱𐌰𐌹𐍄𐍂𐍃 (baitrs)
Greek: πικρός (el) m (pikrós)
Ancient Greek: πικρός (pikrós)
Guarani:
Mbya Guarani: ai

Paraguayan Guarani: ^{(please verify)} ro
Hebrew: מַר (he) m (mar), מרה (he) f (mará), מָרִיר (he) m (marír), מרירה f (merirá)
Higaonon: mapait
Hiligaynon: mapait
Hindi: कड़वा (hi) (kaṛvā), कड़ा (hi) (kaṛā), कटु (hi) (kaṭu), तल्ख (hi) (talkh)
Hungarian: keserű (hu)
Icelandic: beiskur (is)
Ido: bitra (io)
Indonesian: pahit (id)
Ingrian: karkia
Ingush: къахьа (qʼaḥʳa)
Interlingua: amar (ia)
Irish: searbh, goirt, domlasta
Italian: amaro (it) m, amara (it) f
Ivatan: makpad
Japanese: 苦い (ja) (にがい, nigai)
Javanese: pait (jv)
Old Javanese: pahit
Kapampangan: mapait
Kazakh: ащы (aşy), ашты (aşty)
Khmer: ចត់ (km) (cɑt), ជូរ (km) (cuu)
Korean: 쓰다 (ko) (sseuda)
Kurdish:
Central Kurdish: تاڵ (tall)

Northern Kurdish: tal (ku)
Kyrgyz: ачуу (ky) (acuu)
Lao: ຂົມ (lo) (khom)
Latgalian: ryugts m
Latin: amārus (la)
Latvian: rūgts (lv), sīvs (lv), sūrs
Lombard: amar, mar (lmo)
Low German: bitter (nds)
Macedonian: горчлив (gorčliv)
Makasar: pai
Malay: pahit (ms)
Malayalam: കയ്പ്പ് (kayppŭ)
Maltese: morr
Manchu: ᡤᠣᠰᡳᡥᠣᠨ (gosihon)
Mansaka: pait
Mansi:
Northern Mansi: восьрамыӈ (vosʹramyň)
Maranao: mapa'it
Marathi: कडू (mr) (kaḍū)
Mongolian: гашуун (mn) (gašuun)
Naga:
Khiamniungan Naga: khōushāk
Nanai: гочиси (gočisi)
Naxi: ka
Norman: amé
Norwegian: bitter (no)
Nǀuu: ǁxʼaaqʻi
Occitan: amar (oc)
Odia: କଟୁ (or) (kaṭu), ତିକ୍ତ (or) (tikta)
Ojibwe: wiisagi-
Old Church Slavonic:
Cyrillic: горькъ (gorĭkŭ)
Old English: āfor
Persian: تلخ (fa) (talx)
Plautdietsch: betta
Polish: gorzki (pl)
Portuguese: amargo (pt)
Quechua: k'allku
Romanian: amar (ro)
Russian: го́рький (ru) (górʹkij)
Sanskrit: तिक्त (sa) (tikta)
Sardinian:
Campidanese: amargu

Logudorese: rànzigu, rànchiu
Sassarese: rànzigu
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: горак, грк, трпак, опор

Latin: gorak (sh), grk (sh), trpak (sh), opor (sh)
Sicilian: amaru (scn)
Slovak: horký
Slovene: grenak (sl)
Somali: qadhaadh (so)
Sorbian:
Lower Sorbian: górki

Upper Sorbian: hórki, jěrki
Spanish: amargo (es), acibarado (es), amargoso (es), amaro (es) (desus.)
Swedish: bitter (sv), besk (sv)
Tagalog: mapait
Tajik: талх (tg) (talx)
Tausug: mapait
Telugu: చేదు (te) (cēdu)
Thai: ขม (th) (kǒm)
Tongan: kava
Turkish: acı (tr), keskin (tr), acılı (tr), yakıcı (tr), sert (tr), şiddetli (tr), iliklere işleyen
Ottoman Turkish: آجی (acı)
Turkmen: ajy (tk)
Ugaritic: 𐎎𐎗 (mr)
Ukrainian: гірки́й (hirkýj)
Urdu: کڑوا (kaṛvā)
Uzbek: achchiq (uz)
Vietnamese: đắng (vi)
Welsh: chwerw (cy)
Wolaytta: camuwa
Yakut: аһыы (ahïï)
Yiddish: ביטער (biter)
Zazaki: tun (diq)
Zou: khe

harsh, piercing or stinging

Arabic: أَلِيم (ʔalīm)
Armenian: սուր (hy) (sur), ծակող (hy) (cakoġ), դաժան (hy) (dažan), անողոք (hy) (anoġokʻ), սաստիկ (hy) (sastik)
Bulgarian: остър (bg) (ostǎr)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 苦 (zh) (kǔ), 嚴酷 / 严酷 (zh) (yánkù)
Danish: bidende
Dutch: scherp (nl)
Finnish: terävä (fi)
French: dur (fr), sévère (fr), rude (fr)
German: bitter (de), arg (de), harsch (de), hart (de)
Greek: πικρός (el) m (pikrós)
Hindi: तीव्र (hi) (tīvra), उग्र (hi) (ugra)
Hungarian: metsző (hu)
Irish:
Old Irish: aicher
Italian: aspro (it), (of weather) gelido (it)
Japanese: 激しい (ja) (はげしい, hageshii), 過酷な (ja) (かこくな, kakoku na), 荒々しい (ja) (あらあらしい, araarashii)
Latin: acerbus (la)
Marathi: तीव्र (tīvra), उग्र (ugra)
Portuguese: agudo (pt), penetrante (pt)
Russian: го́рький (ru) (górʹkij), мучи́тельный (ru) (mučítelʹnyj), суро́вый (ru) (suróvyj)
Turkish:
Ottoman Turkish: آجی (acı)

hateful or hostile

Arabic: مَقِيت (maqīt), مَمْقُوت (mamqūt)
Armenian: չար (hy) (čʻar), ամենաչար (amenačʻar)
Bulgarian: злобен (bg) (zloben), враждебен (bg) (vraždeben)
Catalan: hostil
Chinese:
Mandarin: 可恨 (zh) (kěhèn), 可惡 / 可恶 (zh) (kěwù), (hostile) 懷敵意 / 怀敌意 (zh) (huáidíyì)
Danish: bitter (da)
Dutch: bitter (nl)
Finnish: katkera (fi)
French: haineux (fr), haïssable (fr), odieux (fr), (hostile) hostile (fr)
German: erbittert (de), verhasst (de), hässlich (de), (hostile) feindlich (de)
Hindi: ईर्ष्यालु (hi) (īrṣyālu)
Hungarian: elkeseredett (hu)
Japanese: 憎らしい (ja) (nikurashii), いやな (iya na), (hostile) 敵対 (ja) (tekitai)
Latin: asper
Māori: pūraurau (referring to feelings and words)
Marathi: कट्टर (kaṭṭar)
Naga:
Khiamniungan Naga: khōushāk
Norwegian: bitter (no)
Portuguese: encarniçado
Russian: зло́бный (ru) (zlóbnyj), злой (ru) (zloj), ненави́стный (ru) (nenavístnyj), вражде́бный (ru) (vraždébnyj)
Serbo-Croatian: ljȗt (sh)
Swedish: bitter (sv)
Telugu: చేదు (te) (cēdu)

cynical and resentful

Armenian: խայթող (xaytʻoġ)
Bulgarian: циничен (bg) (ciničen)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 心酸 (zh) (xīnsuān)
Czech: zatrpklý
Danish: bitter (da), forbitret
Dutch: verbitterd (nl)
Finnish: katkera (fi)
French: amer (fr)
German: verbittert (de)
Gothic: 𐌱𐌰𐌹𐍄𐍂𐍃 (baitrs)
Greek: πικρός (el) m (pikrós)
Hebrew: מריר (he) m (marír), מרירה f (merirá)
Hungarian: megkeseredett (hu)
Irish: domlasta
Latin: amarus (la)
Māori: pūraurau
Naga:
Khiamniungan Naga: khōushāk
Norwegian: bitter (no)
Polish: zgorzkniały (pl) m
Portuguese: amargurado (pt) m
Russian: злой (ru) (zloj), озло́бленный (ru) (ozlóblennyj)
Serbo-Croatian: ògōrčen (sh), о̀го̄рчен
Slovene: zagrenjen
Spanish: amargado (es)
Swedish: bitter (sv)
Turkish:
Ottoman Turkish: آجی (acı)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

Breton: ^{(please verify)} c'hwerv (br)
Hindi: ^{(please verify)} कडुवा (kaḍuvā)
Indonesian: ^{(please verify)} pahit (id), ^{(please verify)} getir (id)
Interlingua: ^{(please verify)} acerbe, ^{(please verify)} amar (ia)
Lithuanian: ^{(please verify)} kartùs (lt) m
Urdu: ^{(please verify)} کڑوا (kaḍuvā)
Volapük: ^{(please verify)} biedik (vo)
Woiwurrung: ^{(please verify)} balim-balim

Adverb

bitter (comparative more bitter, superlative most bitter)

To an intense or severe degree; bitterly.
- 2012, Mir Bahmanyar, Darby's Rangers 1942–45, page 26:
  A dynamic personality in the outfit, he met his death in the bitter-fought engagements in Venafro.
- 2022, Ernest Haycox, The Complete Novels: Son of the West, Saddle and Ride, Action by Night, The Silver Desert, Bugles in the Afternoon:
  After that bitter-spoken warning, talk ceased outside […] .
- 2022, Bec McMaster, Flames and Fated Mates: Six Seductive Fantasy Romance Novels:
  The dream of it ached, bitter and sharp, for that was all it was.

Derived terms

bitter cold

Noun

bitter (countable and uncountable, plural bitters)

(usually in the plural bitters) A liquid or powder, made from bitter herbs, used in mixed drinks or as a tonic.
- 1773, Oliver Goldsmith, She Stoops to Conquer:
  Thus I begin: "All is not gold that glitters,
  "Pleasure seems sweet, but proves a glass of bitters.
A type of beer heavily flavored with hops.
(nautical) A turn of a cable about the bitts.

Synonyms

(beer): English pale ale, EPA

Derived terms

Translations

liquid or powder used in mixed drinks or as tonic

Armenian: դառնություն (hy) (daṙnutʻyun)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 苦啤酒 (kǔpíjiǔ)
Danish: bitter (da)
Finnish: katkero (fi)
Hungarian: gyomorkeserű (hu)
Spanish: bíter (es) m

type of beer

Armenian: դառը գարեջուր (daṙə gareǰur)
Danish: bitter (da)
Finnish: bitter (fi)

Verb

bitter (third-person singular simple present bitters, present participle bittering, simple past and past participle bittered)

(archaic) To make bitter.
- 1766, John Wilkinson, Tutamen Nauticum:
  bittered with the hop

Translations

to make bitter

Finnish: katkeroida

References

“bitter”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Etymology 2

Etymology tree

English bit

Proto-Indo-European *-yósder.

Proto-Italic *-āzijos

Latin -āriusnom.

Latin -āriusbor.

Proto-Germanic *-ārijaz

Proto-West Germanic *-ārī

Old English -ere

Middle English -ere

English -er

English bitter

From bit + -er.

Noun

bitter (plural bitters)

(computing, informal, in combination) A hardware system whose architecture is based around units of the specified number of bits (binary digits).
- 1983, Computerworld, volume 17, number 49, page 21:
  However, 16-bitters are far more expensive than the 8-bit variety. And, unfortunately, have only a handful of business applications software packages that really take advantage of them.
- 1984, Electronic Business, volume 10, page 154:
  The company believes that the 32-bit market will almost equal that of 16-bitters by the end of the decade. Chip maker Zilog Inc., not a major player in the 16-bit arena, is even more bullish about 32-bitters as it readies its own version for market.

Afrikaans

Etymology

From Dutch bitter, from Middle Dutch bitter, from Old Dutch bitter, from Proto-West Germanic *bitr.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈbətər/

Adjective

bitter (attributive bitter or bittere, comparative bitterder, superlative bitterste)

bitter (having an acrid taste)
very

Danish

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Middle Low German bitter.

Adjective

bitter (neuter bittert, plural and definite singular attributive bitre)

bitter (all meanings)

Inflection

Inflection of *bitter*
	positive	comparative	superlative
indefinite common singular	bitter	bitrere	bitrest²
indefinite neuter singular	bittert	bitrere	bitrest²
plural	bitre	bitrere	bitrest²
definite attributive¹	bitre	bitrere	bitreste

¹ When an adjective is applied predicatively to something definite,
the corresponding "indefinite" form is used.
² The "indefinite" superlatives may not be used attributively.

Related terms

Etymology 2

A nominalization of the adjective.

Noun

bitter c (singular definite bitteren, plural indefinite bittere)

bitter (the liquid used in drinks)
A bitter form of an aquavit

Inflection

Declension of *bitter*
common gender	singular		plural
common gender	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	bitter	bitteren	bittere	bitterne
genitive	bitters	bitterens	bitteres	bitternes

Etymology 3

Borrowed from English bitter.

Noun

bitter c

bitter (type of beer - only known generally in Denmark for a few years)

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch bitter, from Old Dutch bitter, from Proto-West Germanic *bitr.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈbɪtər/
Audio: (file)
Hyphenation: bit‧ter
Rhymes: -ɪtər

Adjective

bitter (comparative bitterder, superlative bitterst)

bitter (having an acrid taste)
bitter, embittered

Declension

Declension of bitter
uninflected	bitter
inflected	bittere
comparative	bitterder
		positive	comparative	superlative
predicative/adverbial		bitter	bitterder	het bitterst het bitterste
indefinite	m./f. sing.	bittere	bitterdere	bitterste
	n. sing.	bitter	bitterder	bitterste
	plural	bittere	bitterdere	bitterste
definite		bittere	bitterdere	bitterste
partitive		bitters	bitterders	—

Derived terms

Descendants

Afrikaans: bitter
Negerhollands: bitter, better, bitu
→ Caribbean Hindustani: bitá
→ Saramaccan: bíta
→ Sranan Tongo: bita

Noun

bitter m or n (plural bitters, diminutive bittertje n)

bitters, a type of strong spirits made by steeping (often bitter) herbs in brandy or jenever, traditionally considered a digestive drink
Synonym: kruidenbitter

Zonder zijn gebruikelijke bittertje om vier uur voelde Opa zich niet lekker. ― Without his regular shot of bitter at four o'clock, Grandpa wouldn't feel well.

Usage notes

When used in a countable sense (a serving of bitter), the diminutive is the usual form.

Derived terms

Descendants

Afrikaans: bitter
→ Caribbean Hindustani: bitá
→ Catalan: bíter
→ Papiamentu: beter, bitter
→ Saramaccan: bíta
→ Sranan Tongo: bita

Finnish

Etymology

From English bitter.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈbiter/, [ˈbit̪e̞r]
IPA^(key): /ˈbitːer/, [ˈbit̪ːe̞r]
Rhymes: -itːer
Syllabification^(key): bit‧ter
Hyphenation^(key): bit‧ter

Noun

bitter

bitter (type of beer)

Declension

Inflection of bitter (Kotus type 6/paperi, no gradation)
nominative		bitter	bitterit
genitive		bitterin	bitterien bittereiden bittereitten
partitive		bitteriä	bittereitä bitterejä
illative		bitteriin	bittereihin
		singular	plural
nominative		bitter	bitterit
accusative	nom.	bitter	bitterit
accusative	gen.	bitterin	bitterit
genitive		bitterin	bitterien bittereiden bittereitten
partitive		bitteriä	bittereitä bitterejä
inessive		bitterissä	bittereissä
elative		bitteristä	bittereistä
illative		bitteriin	bittereihin
adessive		bitterillä	bittereillä
ablative		bitteriltä	bittereiltä
allative		bitterille	bittereille
essive		bitterinä	bittereinä
translative		bitteriksi	bittereiksi
abessive		bitterittä	bittereittä
instructive		—	bitterein
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of bitter (Kotus type 6/paperi, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor
		singular	plural
nominative		bitterini	bitterini
accusative	nom.	bitterini	bitterini
accusative	gen.	bitterini	bitterini
genitive		bitterini	bitterieni bittereideni bittereitteni
partitive		bitteriäni	bittereitäni bitterejäni
inessive		bitterissäni	bittereissäni
elative		bitteristäni	bittereistäni
illative		bitteriini	bittereihini
adessive		bitterilläni	bittereilläni
ablative		bitteriltäni	bittereiltäni
allative		bitterilleni	bittereilleni
essive		bitterinäni	bittereinäni
translative		bitterikseni	bittereikseni
abessive		bitterittäni	bittereittäni
instructive		—	—
comitative		—	bittereineni

second-person singular possessor
		singular	plural
nominative		bitterisi	bitterisi
accusative	nom.	bitterisi	bitterisi
accusative	gen.	bitterisi	bitterisi
genitive		bitterisi	bitteriesi bittereidesi bittereittesi
partitive		bitteriäsi	bittereitäsi bitterejäsi
inessive		bitterissäsi	bittereissäsi
elative		bitteristäsi	bittereistäsi
illative		bitteriisi	bittereihisi
adessive		bitterilläsi	bittereilläsi
ablative		bitteriltäsi	bittereiltäsi
allative		bitterillesi	bittereillesi
essive		bitterinäsi	bittereinäsi
translative		bitteriksesi	bittereiksesi
abessive		bitterittäsi	bittereittäsi
instructive		—	—
comitative		—	bittereinesi

first-person plural possessor
		singular	plural
nominative		bitterimme	bitterimme
accusative	nom.	bitterimme	bitterimme
accusative	gen.	bitterimme	bitterimme
genitive		bitterimme	bitteriemme bittereidemme bittereittemme
partitive		bitteriämme	bittereitämme bitterejämme
inessive		bitterissämme	bittereissämme
elative		bitteristämme	bittereistämme
illative		bitteriimme	bittereihimme
adessive		bitterillämme	bittereillämme
ablative		bitteriltämme	bittereiltämme
allative		bitterillemme	bittereillemme
essive		bitterinämme	bittereinämme
translative		bitteriksemme	bittereiksemme
abessive		bitterittämme	bittereittämme
instructive		—	—
comitative		—	bittereinemme

second-person plural possessor
		singular	plural
nominative		bitterinne	bitterinne
accusative	nom.	bitterinne	bitterinne
accusative	gen.	bitterinne	bitterinne
genitive		bitterinne	bitterienne bittereidenne bittereittenne
partitive		bitteriänne	bittereitänne bitterejänne
inessive		bitterissänne	bittereissänne
elative		bitteristänne	bittereistänne
illative		bitteriinne	bittereihinne
adessive		bitterillänne	bittereillänne
ablative		bitteriltänne	bittereiltänne
allative		bitterillenne	bittereillenne
essive		bitterinänne	bittereinänne
translative		bitteriksenne	bittereiksenne
abessive		bitterittänne	bittereittänne
instructive		—	—
comitative		—	bittereinenne

third-person possessor
		singular	plural
nominative		bitterinsä	bitterinsä
accusative	nom.	bitterinsä	bitterinsä
accusative	gen.	bitterinsä	bitterinsä
genitive		bitterinsä	bitteriensä bittereidensä bittereittensä
partitive		bitteriään bitteriänsä	bittereitään bitterejään bittereitänsä bitterejänsä
inessive		bitterissään bitterissänsä	bittereissään bittereissänsä
elative		bitteristään bitteristänsä	bittereistään bittereistänsä
illative		bitteriinsä	bittereihinsä
adessive		bitterillään bitterillänsä	bittereillään bittereillänsä
ablative		bitteriltään bitteriltänsä	bittereiltään bittereiltänsä
allative		bitterilleen bitterillensä	bittereilleen bittereillensä
essive		bitterinään bitterinänsä	bittereinään bittereinänsä
translative		bitterikseen bitteriksensä	bittereikseen bittereiksensä
abessive		bitterittään bitterittänsä	bittereittään bittereittänsä
instructive		—	—
comitative		—	bittereineen bittereinensä

French

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /bi.te/
Audio (Paris): (file)
Audio (France (Somain)): (file)
Audio (France (Vosges)): (file)
Audio (France (Lyon)): (file)
Audio (France (Lyon)): (file)

Verb

bitter

(transitive, slang) to understand, usually used in negative form and especially with rien
Synonym: comprendre

J’ai rien bitté au cours.
I got nothing of the class

Conjugation

Conjugation of bitter (see also Appendix:French verbs)

infinitive	compound	avoir + past participle
infinitive	simple	bitter
present participle or gerund¹	simple	bittant /bi.tɑ̃/
present participle or gerund¹	compound	ayant + past participle
past participle		bitté /bi.te/
		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative		je (j’)	tu	il, elle, on	nous	vous	ils, elles
(simple tenses)	present	bitte /bit/	bittes /bit/	bitte /bit/	bittons /bi.tɔ̃/	bittez /bi.te/	bittent /bit/
	imperfect	bittais /bi.tɛ/	bittais /bi.tɛ/	bittait /bi.tɛ/	bittions /bi.tjɔ̃/	bittiez /bi.tje/	bittaient /bi.tɛ/
	past historic²	bittai /bi.te/	bittas /bi.ta/	bitta /bi.ta/	bittâmes /bi.tam/	bittâtes /bi.tat/	bittèrent /bi.tɛʁ/
	future	bitterai /bi.tʁe/	bitteras /bi.tʁa/	bittera /bi.tʁa/	bitterons /bi.tʁɔ̃/	bitterez /bi.tʁe/	bitteront /bi.tʁɔ̃/
	conditional	bitterais /bi.tʁɛ/	bitterais /bi.tʁɛ/	bitterait /bi.tʁɛ/	bitterions /bi.tə.ʁjɔ̃/	bitteriez /bi.tə.ʁje/	bitteraient /bi.tʁɛ/
(compound tenses)	present perfect	present indicative of avoir + past participle
	pluperfect	imperfect indicative of avoir + past participle
	past anterior²	past historic of avoir + past participle
	future perfect	future of avoir + past participle
	conditional perfect	conditional of avoir + past participle
subjunctive		que je (j’)	que tu	qu’il, qu’elle	que nous	que vous	qu’ils, qu’elles
(simple tenses)	present	bitte /bit/	bittes /bit/	bitte /bit/	bittions /bi.tjɔ̃/	bittiez /bi.tje/	bittent /bit/
(simple tenses)	imperfect²	bittasse /bi.tas/	bittasses /bi.tas/	bittât /bi.ta/	bittassions /bi.ta.sjɔ̃/	bittassiez /bi.ta.sje/	bittassent /bi.tas/
(compound tenses)	past	present subjunctive of avoir + past participle
(compound tenses)	pluperfect²	imperfect subjunctive of avoir + past participle
imperative		–	tu	–	~~nous~~	~~vous~~	–
simple		—	bitte /bit/	—	bittons /bi.tɔ̃/	bittez /bi.te/	—
compound		—	simple imperative of avoir + past participle	—	simple imperative of avoir + past participle	simple imperative of avoir + past participle	—
¹ The French gerund is usable only with the preposition en.
² In less formal writing or speech, these tenses may be found to have been replaced in the following way: past historic → present perfect past anterior → pluperfect imperfect subjunctive → present subjunctive pluperfect subjunctive → past subjunctive (Christopher Kendris [1995], Master the Basics: French, pp. 77, 78, 79, 81).

German

Etymology

From Middle High German bitter, pitter, from Old High German bittar, from Proto-West Germanic *bitr.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈbɪ.tɐ/
Audio (Germany (Berlin)): (file)

Adjective

	A user suggests that this German entry be cleaned up, giving the reason: *“entry lacks contracted forms like bittren = bitteren, bittrer = bitterer, bittrere = bitterere”*.
	Please see the discussion on Requests for cleanup⁽⁺⁾ or the talk page for more information and remove this template after the problem has been dealt with.

bitter (strong nominative masculine singular bitterer, comparative bitterer, superlative am bittersten)

bitter

Declension

Positive forms of bitter

number & gender		singular			plural
number & gender		masculine	feminine	neuter	plural
predicative		er ist bitter	sie ist bitter	es ist bitter	sie sind bitter
strong declension (without article)	nominative	bitterer	bittere	bitteres	bittere
	genitive	bitteren	bitterer	bitteren	bitterer
	dative	bitterem	bitterer	bitterem	bitteren
	accusative	bitteren	bittere	bitteres	bittere
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	der bittere	die bittere	das bittere	die bitteren
	genitive	des bitteren	der bitteren	des bitteren	der bitteren
	dative	dem bitteren	der bitteren	dem bitteren	den bitteren
	accusative	den bitteren	die bittere	das bittere	die bitteren
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	ein bitterer	eine bittere	ein bitteres	(keine) bitteren
	genitive	eines bitteren	einer bitteren	eines bitteren	(keiner) bitteren
	dative	einem bitteren	einer bitteren	einem bitteren	(keinen) bitteren
	accusative	einen bitteren	eine bittere	ein bitteres	(keine) bitteren

Comparative forms of bitter

number & gender		singular			plural
number & gender		masculine	feminine	neuter	plural
predicative		er ist bitterer	sie ist bitterer	es ist bitterer	sie sind bitterer
strong declension (without article)	nominative	bittererer	bitterere	bittereres	bitterere
	genitive	bittereren	bittererer	bittereren	bittererer
	dative	bittererem	bittererer	bittererem	bittereren
	accusative	bittereren	bitterere	bittereres	bitterere
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	der bitterere	die bitterere	das bitterere	die bittereren
	genitive	des bittereren	der bittereren	des bittereren	der bittereren
	dative	dem bittereren	der bittereren	dem bittereren	den bittereren
	accusative	den bittereren	die bitterere	das bitterere	die bittereren
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	ein bittererer	eine bitterere	ein bittereres	(keine) bittereren
	genitive	eines bittereren	einer bittereren	eines bittereren	(keiner) bittereren
	dative	einem bittereren	einer bittereren	einem bittereren	(keinen) bittereren
	accusative	einen bittereren	eine bitterere	ein bittereres	(keine) bittereren

Superlative forms of bitter

number & gender		singular			plural
number & gender		masculine	feminine	neuter	plural
predicative		er ist am bittersten	sie ist am bittersten	es ist am bittersten	sie sind am bittersten
strong declension (without article)	nominative	bitterster	bitterste	bitterstes	bitterste
	genitive	bittersten	bitterster	bittersten	bitterster
	dative	bitterstem	bitterster	bitterstem	bittersten
	accusative	bittersten	bitterste	bitterstes	bitterste
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	der bitterste	die bitterste	das bitterste	die bittersten
	genitive	des bittersten	der bittersten	des bittersten	der bittersten
	dative	dem bittersten	der bittersten	dem bittersten	den bittersten
	accusative	den bittersten	die bitterste	das bitterste	die bittersten
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	ein bitterster	eine bitterste	ein bitterstes	(keine) bittersten
	genitive	eines bittersten	einer bittersten	eines bittersten	(keiner) bittersten
	dative	einem bittersten	einer bittersten	einem bittersten	(keinen) bittersten
	accusative	einen bittersten	eine bitterste	ein bitterstes	(keine) bittersten

Coordinate terms

(tastes) Geschmack; bitter, salzig, sauer, süß ^{(Category: de:Taste)}

Derived terms

Adverb

bitter

bitterly
Synonym: verbittert

Italian

Etymology

Pseudo-anglicism, a clipping of English bitters.

Noun

bitter m (invariable)

bitters

Middle Dutch

Etymology

From Old Dutch bitter, from Proto-West Germanic *bitr.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈbɪtːər/

Adjective

bitter

bitter (taste)
sad, painful

Inflection

This adjective needs an inflection-table template.

Descendants

Dutch: bitter
Limburgish: bitter

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Middle Low German bitter and Old Norse bitr.

Adjective

bitter (neuter singular bittert, definite singular and plural bitre, comparative bitrere, indefinite superlative bitrest, definite superlative bitreste)

bitter

Derived terms

bitterhet

References

“bitter” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Middle Low German bitter and Old Norse bitr.

Adjective

bitter (neuter singular bittert, definite singular and plural bitre, comparative bitrare, indefinite superlative bitrast, definite superlative bitraste)

bitter

References

“bitter” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Old Dutch

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *bitr, from Proto-Germanic *bitraz.

Adjective

bitter

bitter

Inflection

Declension of bitter (a-stem)

strong declension
case	masculine	feminine	neuter	plural

nominative	bitter	bitter	bitter	bittera, bittere
accusative	bitteran, bitteren	bittera	bitter	bittera, bittere
genitive	bitteres	bitterero	bitteres	bitterero
dative	bitterin, bitteremo	bitterero	bitterin, bitteremo	bitteron
weak declension
case	masculine	feminine	neuter	plural

nominative	bittero	bittera	bittera	bitteron
accusative	bitteron	bitteron	bittera	bitteron
genitive	bitterin	bitteron	bitterin	bitterono
dative	bitterin	bitteron	bitterin	bitteron

Descendants

Middle Dutch: bitter
- Dutch: bitter
- Limburgish: bitter

Old English

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈbit.ter/

Adjective

bitter

alternative form of biter

Declension

Declension of bitter — Strong

Singular	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	bitter	bitteru, bitru, bittero, bitro	bitter
Accusative	bitterne	bittere, bitre	bitter
Genitive	bitteres, bitres	bitterre	bitteres, bitres
Dative	bitterum, bitrum	bitterre	bitterum, bitrum
Instrumental	bittere, bitre	bitterre	bittere, bitre
Plural	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	bittere, bitre	bittera, bitra, bittere, bitre	bitteru, bitru, bittero, bitro
Accusative	bittere, bitre	bittera, bitra, bittere, bitre	bitteru, bitru, bittero, bitro
Genitive	bitterra	bitterra	bitterra
Dative	bitterum, bitrum	bitterum, bitrum	bitterum, bitrum
Instrumental	bitterum, bitrum	bitterum, bitrum	bitterum, bitrum

Declension of bitter — Weak

Singular	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	bittera, bitra	bittere, bitre	bittere, bitre
Accusative	bitteran, bitran	bitteran, bitran	bittere, bitre
Genitive	bitteran, bitran	bitteran, bitran	bitteran, bitran
Dative	bitteran, bitran	bitteran, bitran	bitteran, bitran
Instrumental	bitteran, bitran	bitteran, bitran	bitteran, bitran
Plural	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	bitteran, bitran	bitteran, bitran	bitteran, bitran
Accusative	bitteran, bitran	bitteran, bitran	bitteran, bitran
Genitive	bitterra, bitterena, bitrena	bitterra, bitterena, bitrena	bitterra, bitterena, bitrena
Dative	bitterum, bitrum	bitterum, bitrum	bitterum, bitrum
Instrumental	bitterum, bitrum	bitterum, bitrum	bitterum, bitrum

Old High German

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈbit.ter/

Adjective

bitter

alternative form of bittar

References

Joseph Wright, An Old High German Primer

Swedish

Etymology

From Old Norse bitr (partly through the influence of Middle Low German bitter), from Proto-Germanic *bitraz.

Pronunciation

Audio: (file)

Adjective

bitter (comparative bittrare, superlative bittrast)

bitter; having an acrid taste
bitter; hateful
bitter; resentful

Declension

Inflection of **bitter**
Indefinite	positive	comparative	superlative¹
common singular	bitter	bittrare	bittrast
neuter singular	bittert	bittrare	bittrast
plural	bittra	bittrare	bittrast
masculine plural²	bittre	bittrare	bittrast

Definite	positive	comparative	superlative
masculine singular³	bittre	bittrare	bittraste
all	bittra	bittrare	bittraste

¹ The indefinite superlative forms are only used in the predicative.
² Dated or archaic.
³ Only used, optionally, to refer to things whose natural gender is masculine.

References

“bitter”, in Svensk ordbok [Dictionary of Swedish] (in Swedish)
“bitter”, in Svenska Akademiens ordlista [Wordlist of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)
“bitter”, in Svenska Akademiens ordbok [Dictionary of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)

Anagrams

bittre

Basic tastes in Afrikaans · smake (layout · text)

soet	suur	sout	bitter	skerp	-

bitter

English

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Adjective

Usage notes

Synonyms

Antonyms

Derived terms

Descendants

Translations

See also

Adverb

Derived terms

Noun

Synonyms

Derived terms

Translations

See also

Verb

Translations

References

Etymology 2

Noun

Afrikaans

Etymology

Pronunciation

Adjective

See also

Danish

Etymology 1

Adjective

Inflection

Related terms

See also

Etymology 2

Noun

Inflection

Etymology 3

Noun

Dutch

Etymology

Pronunciation

Adjective

Declension

Derived terms

Descendants

See also

Noun

Usage notes

Derived terms

Descendants

Further reading

Finnish

Etymology

Pronunciation

Noun

Declension

Further reading

French

Pronunciation

Verb

Conjugation

Further reading

German

Etymology

Pronunciation

Adjective

Declension

Coordinate terms

Derived terms

See also

Adverb

Further reading

Italian

Etymology

Noun

Middle Dutch

Etymology

Pronunciation