bit·ter·sweet
ˈbi-tər-ˌswēt 
1
: something that is bittersweet
especially
: pleasure accompanied by suffering or regret
… the bittersweet of their long separation … —
Christopher Morley
Christopher Morley 2
botany
a
: a poisonous Eurasian woody vine (Solanum dulcamara) of the nightshade family that has purple flowers and oval reddish berries and is naturalized (see naturalize sense 4) in North America
b
: a North American poisonous woody vine (Celastrus scandens) of the staff-tree family having clusters of small greenish flowers succeeded by yellow capsules (see capsule entry 1 sense 2a) that open when ripe and disclose the scarlet aril
1
: being at once bitter and sweet
especially
: pleasant but including or marked by elements of suffering or regret
a bittersweet ballad
bittersweet memories
2
: of or relating to a prepared chocolate containing little sugar
bittersweet chocolate chips
bittersweetly
adverb
bittersweetness
noun
Examples of bittersweet in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the WebTIME, 14 Mar. 2024
The mood was all at once jubilant and a little bittersweet.
—Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Jan. 2024
Participants were asked about their emotional response to their favorite music and the researchers assigned four themes: energizing/activating, happy/cheerful, calming/relaxing, and moving/bittersweet.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 25 Oct. 2023
Jennifer Forman Orth/National Park Service The Oriental bittersweet was introduced as an ornamental plant and for erosion control, according to the National Invasive Species Information Center.
—Lindsay Crudele, BostonGlobe.com, 26 July 2023
An anthology series — set in and around a compact backstreet Tokyo eatery, open from midnight to 7 a.m., where night owls from all walks of life occupy its U-shaped counter — offers short stories that tend to the bittersweet, but with sweetness most prominent.
—Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 15 June 2023
Talk about bittersweet: Netflix has renewed Sweet Tooth for a third and final season.
—Emlyn Travis, EW.com, 3 May 2023
And maybe a little bittersweet.
—Creg Stephenson | Cstephenson@al.com, al, 19 Nov. 2022
Labor Day can feel a little bittersweet.
—Maggie Horton, Country Living, 5 Sep. 2022
Tracy Brown, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2024
The year was bittersweet for Frank Jr., who was married to Cynthia McMurry just five months later on Oct. 18.
—Nicole Briese, Peoplemag, 17 Mar. 2024
The bill’s introduction was bittersweet for the VanPatten family.
—Robin Fields, ProPublica, 5 Mar. 2024
For crime fiction fans, a new Don Winslow novel is usually a time of joy, but the arrival of the writer’s latest crime opus, City in Ruins, is bittersweet.
—Sean Woods, Rolling Stone, 2 Apr. 2024
For some of those who had known him the longest, the convictions were bittersweet.
—Josh Feldman, NBC News, 4 Mar. 2024
For Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, the occasion is always bittersweet — marked by moments of joy and constant reminders of the Israeli occupation that shapes their lives.
—Sufian Taha, Washington Post, 22 Mar. 2024
He is gone now, never having seen a Springsteen show, which is too bad, and lends a bittersweet air to my feelings about the album.
—Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 20 Mar. 2024
For their family, the FDA’s action this week was bittersweet.
—Brenda Goodman, CNN, 20 Mar. 2024
Noun
Their characters had a deep connection and were hilarious together, making their send-off bittersweet.
—TIME, 14 Mar. 2024
The mood was all at once jubilant and a little bittersweet.
—Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Jan. 2024
Participants were asked about their emotional response to their favorite music and the researchers assigned four themes: energizing/activating, happy/cheerful, calming/relaxing, and moving/bittersweet.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 25 Oct. 2023
Jennifer Forman Orth/National Park Service The Oriental bittersweet was introduced as an ornamental plant and for erosion control, according to the National Invasive Species Information Center.
—Lindsay Crudele, BostonGlobe.com, 26 July 2023
An anthology series — set in and around a compact backstreet Tokyo eatery, open from midnight to 7 a.m., where night owls from all walks of life occupy its U-shaped counter — offers short stories that tend to the bittersweet, but with sweetness most prominent.
—Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 15 June 2023
Talk about bittersweet: Netflix has renewed Sweet Tooth for a third and final season.
—Emlyn Travis, EW.com, 3 May 2023
And maybe a little bittersweet.
—Creg Stephenson | Cstephenson@al.com, al, 19 Nov. 2022
Labor Day can feel a little bittersweet.
—Maggie Horton, Country Living, 5 Sep. 2022
Adjective
Occasionally the memories commemorated within the stairwell were bittersweet.
—Tracy Brown, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2024
The year was bittersweet for Frank Jr., who was married to Cynthia McMurry just five months later on Oct. 18.
—Nicole Briese, Peoplemag, 17 Mar. 2024
The bill’s introduction was bittersweet for the VanPatten family.
—Robin Fields, ProPublica, 5 Mar. 2024
For crime fiction fans, a new Don Winslow novel is usually a time of joy, but the arrival of the writer’s latest crime opus, City in Ruins, is bittersweet.
—Sean Woods, Rolling Stone, 2 Apr. 2024
For some of those who had known him the longest, the convictions were bittersweet.
—Josh Feldman, NBC News, 4 Mar. 2024
For Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, the occasion is always bittersweet — marked by moments of joy and constant reminders of the Israeli occupation that shapes their lives.
—Sufian Taha, Washington Post, 22 Mar. 2024
He is gone now, never having seen a Springsteen show, which is too bad, and lends a bittersweet air to my feelings about the album.
—Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 20 Mar. 2024
For their family, the FDA’s action this week was bittersweet.
—Brenda Goodman, CNN, 20 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bittersweet.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near bittersweet
Cite this Entry
“Bittersweet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bittersweet. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
bittersweet
1 of 2 noun
bit·ter·sweet
ˈbit-ər-ˌswēt
1
: a poisonous woody vine of the nightshade family with purple flowers and oval reddish orange berries
2
: a North American woody vine with yellow seedcases that open when ripe to show the scarlet seed covers
bittersweet
2 of 2 adjective
: being both bitter and sweet
a bittersweet story
Medical Definition
bittersweet
noun
bit·ter·sweet
ˈbit-ər-ˌswēt, ˌbit-ər-ˈ
: a sprawling poisonous weedy nightshade (Solanum dulcamara) with purple flowers and oval reddish orange berries that is the source of dulcamara
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