acrimony

noun

ac·​ri·​mo·​ny ˈa-krə-ˌmō-nē 

plural acrimonies

: anger and bitterness : harsh or biting sharpness especially of words, manner, or feelings

The dispute continued with increased acrimony.

Synonyms of acrimony

• bitterness
• hostility
• severity
• anger
• malice
• bile

Examples of acrimony in a Sentence

The dispute began again with increased acrimony.

she responded with such acrimony that he never brought the subject up again

Recent Examples on the Web

In 1997, shortly after the Kinks finally broke up following decades of acrimony, Sandoval’s band backed up Dave Davies at a charity concert. —Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 10 May 2026

There was no handshake at the end of that match, and not because of the serve acrimony. —Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 1 May 2026

The ordeal, which exposed fierce acrimony between House and Senate Republicans, left thousands of workers without pay, upended air travel and jeopardized Americans' safety. —Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 1 May 2026

Russia’s reopening of its national pavilion—with the approval of Venice Biennale director Pietrangelo Buttafuoco—has sparked acrimony across the European art world and political sphere. —Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 27 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French acrimonie, borrowed from Latin ācrimōnia, from ācr-, ācer "sharp, biting, keen" + -mōnia, suffix of abstract nouns (going back to the Indo-European noun-forming suffix *-mĕ̄n-/*-mŏ̄n- + the abstract noun formative *-i-) — more at acr-

First Known Use

1542, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for acrimony

• abalone
• alimony
• antimony
• ceremony
• chalcedony
• cicerone
• cosmogony
• eurozone
• lithopone
• macaroni
• matrimony
• parsimony

Kids Definition

acrimony

noun

ac·​ri·​mo·​ny ˈak-rə-ˌmō-nē 

plural acrimonies

: harsh or biting sharpness especially of words, manner, or disposition

acrimonious

ˌak-rə-ˈmō-nē-əs

adjective

acrimoniously adverb

acrimoniousness noun