acrimonious
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acrimonious
- /ˌæk.ɹɪˈməʊ.nɪ.əs/ UK
- /ˌæk.ɹɪˈmoʊ.ni.əs/ US
- /-ɹə-/ US
Rhymes with -əʊniəs
Where it comes from
From acrimony + -ous; compare French acrimonieux (“acrimonious”), from Latin ācrimōniōsus (“acrimonious”), from ācrimōnia (“pungency, sharpness; acrimony, austerity”) + -ōsus (suffix meaning “full of; prone to”, forming adjectives from nouns) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *-went- or *-wont- + *-to-). Ācrimōnia is derived from Latin ācer (“sharp; bitter, sour”) (from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱrós (“sharp”), from *h₂eḱ- (“sharp”) + *-rós (suffix forming adjectives from Caland system roots)) + Latin -mōnia (the feminine form of -mōnium (suffix forming collective nouns and nouns designating legal status or obligation), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *-mō (suffix forming agent nouns from verbs)).
adjective more acrimonious · most acrimonious
- Harsh and sharp, or bitter and not pleasant to the taste; acrid, pungent. The old man […] began to suffer in the body as well as the mind. He had formed the determination of setting out in person for Dumfriesshire, when, after having been dogged, peevish, and snappish to his clerks and domestics, to an unusual and almost intolerable degree, the acrimonious humours settled
- Angry, acid, and sharp in delivering argumentative replies: bitter, mean-spirited, sharp in language or tone. Theſe points are diſcuſſed with the ability and learning which diſtinguiſh the Right Reverend Author's [Samuel Horsley's] publications, but not without acrimonious expreſſions of contempt and indignation againſt his opponent [Joseph Priestley].
Similar: acerb, acerbic, acrid, bitter, rancorous · Opposite: nonacrimonious
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Every language
adj angry, acid, and sharp in delivering argumentative replies
| Español | áspero, cáustico, sarcástico |
|---|---|
| Português | acrimonioso |
| Français | acrimonieux |
| Deutsch | erbittert, bissig |
| Italiano | acrimonioso |
| Ελληνικά | πικρός pikrós, οξύς oxýs, πικρόχολος pikrócholos, οργισμένος orgisménos |
| Română | acrimonios |
| Русский | язви́тельный jazvítelʹnyj, же́лчный žélčnyj |
Talk about this word "acrimonious." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/acrimonious. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. acrimonious. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/acrimonious "acrimonious." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/acrimonious.Cite this
@misc{acrimonious_2026,
title = {acrimonious},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/acrimonious},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
