bittersweet
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bittersweet
- /ˈbɪtɚˌswit/ US
- [ˈbɪɾɚˌswiʔt̚] US
- /ˌbɪtɚˈswit/ US
Rhymes with -iːt
Where it comes from
From Middle English bitterswete, biterswete, equivalent to bitter + sweet. Cognate with Saterland Frisian bitterswäit (“bittersweet”), West Frisian bittersoet (“bittersweet”), Dutch bitterzoet (“bittersweet”), German bittersüß (“bittersweet”), Danish bittersød (“bittersweet”), Swedish bittersöt (“bittersweet”).
adjective more bittersweet · most bittersweet · bitter-sweet
- Both bitter and sweet. bittersweet chocolate
- Expressing contrasting emotions of pain and pleasure. The break-up was very bittersweet; they both hurt to end it, but were glad it was over.
- Of bittersweet color (see the noun section, below).
noun bittersweets · bitter-sweet
- Bittersweet nightshade (Solanum dulcamara). Bitter ſweete bringeth foorth wooddie ſtalks as doth the Vine, parted into many ſlender creeping braunches, by which it climeth and taketh holde of hedges and ſhrubbes next vnto it. […] Bitter ſweet doth grow in moiſt places about ditches, riuers, and hedges, almoſt euery where.
- Bittersweetness. I had once before visited these three villages, Skedans, Tanoo and Cumshewa. The bitter-sweet of their overwhelming loneliness created a longing to return to them.
- A vine, of the genus Celastrus, having small orange fruit that open to reveal red seeds. Over by the creek-bed scarlet-flamed sumac shouldered the silver-green of the willows, and orange-colored bittersweet crept through the tangle of wild plums.
- A variety of apple with a bittersweet taste. "They had a good crop of bitter-sweets, they couldn’t grind them all"—nodding towards an orchard where some heaps of apples had been left lying ever since the ingathering.
- Any variety of clam in the family Glycymerididae
- A pinkish-orange color. Any color in between scarlet and orange.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: sad, tasteful, waxwork, semisweet, deadly nightshade, staff vine, woody nightshade, climbing nightshade, american bittersweet, bittersweet nightshade, celastrus scandens, climbing bittersweet, false bittersweet, poisonous nightshade, solanum dulcamara, bittersome
Translations
Every language
adj both bitter and sweet
| Español | dulce y amargo, agridulce |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 달콤 씁쓸한 dalkom sseupsseulhan |
| 日本語 | ほろ苦い horonigai |
| 中文 | 苦甜 kǔtián |
| Português | agridoce |
| Français | doux-amer, aigre-doux |
| Deutsch | bittersüß |
| Italiano | agrodolce, dolceamaro |
| Ελληνικά | γλυκόπικρος glykópikros, γλυκόξινος glykóxinos |
| Русский | горько-сладкий gorʹko-sladkij |
| Tiếng Việt | cay đắng ngọt ngào |
| العربية | حُلْو وَمُرّ ḥulw wamurr, حُلْوَة وَمُرَّة |
| עברית | מָתוֹק מַר |
adj expressing contrasting emotions of pain and pleasure
| Español | agridulce |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 悲喜こもごも hikikomogomo |
| Português | agridoce |
| Français | mi-figue mi-raisin, doux-amer |
| Deutsch | bittersüß |
| Italiano | agrodolce |
| Ελληνικά | γλυκόπικρος glykópikros |
| العربية | حُلْو وَمُرّ ḥulw wamurr, حُلْوَة وَمُرَّة |
noun bittersweet nightshade, Solanum dulcamara
| Español | dulcamara, dulzamara |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 歐白英 /欧白英 ōubáiyīng |
| Português | doce-amarga, dolce-amarga |
| Français | douce-amère |
| Deutsch | Bittersüß, Bittersüßer Nachtschatten |
| Italiano | dulcamara |
| Ελληνικά | στρύχνος strýchnos |
| Română | lăsnicior |
| Русский | паслён сла́дко-го́рький pasljón sládko-górʹkij |
noun a vine, of the genus Celastrus
| Русский | древогу́бец drevogúbec |
|---|
Talk about this word "bittersweet." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/bittersweet. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. bittersweet. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/bittersweet "bittersweet." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/bittersweet.Cite this
@misc{bittersweet_2026,
title = {bittersweet},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/bittersweet},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
