acrimonious

adjective

ac·​ri·​mo·​ni·​ous ˌa-krə-ˈmō-nē-əs How to pronounce acrimonious (audio)
: angry and bitter : caustic, biting, or rancorous especially in feeling, language, or manner
an acrimonious dispute
acrimoniously adverb
acrimoniousness noun

Examples of acrimonious in a Sentence

Each man came out of their acrimonious 200-meter showdown on July 23 with an injured hamstring and a decidedly negative vibe. Tim Layden, Sports Illustrated, 11 Sept. 2000
My May 19, 1967, memorandum to the president unleashed a storm of controversy.  … It led to tense and acrimonious Senate hearings that pitted me against the Joint Chiefs of Staff and generated rumors they intended to resign en masse. Robert McNamara, In Retrospect, 1995
But considering the momentousness of the issue, the original Darwinian debate was far less acrimonious than might have been expected … Gertrude Himmelfarb, American Scholar, Autumn 1981
We could tell, however, when debate became more acrimonious than professional, but this was from watching lawyers other than our father. Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird, 1960
He went through an acrimonious divorce. an acrimonious parting between the two former friends
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Starting with fawning platitudes, the relationship between the world's richest man and the world's most powerful man has come to an acrimonious end. Dan Perry, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 June 2025 This could seek to avoid a repeat of the acrimonious conclusion to the previous summit in Canada back in 2018 when Trump, during his first term in office, retracted the U.S.′ support for the joint statement. Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 16 June 2025 The Trump-Newsom relationship – long and often acrimonious, but lately less so – is now moving to a new level of public confrontation that has the nation on edge. Zac Anderson, USA Today, 10 June 2025 Social media exploded with hot takes from all over the political spectrum Thursday amid the very public and acrimonious split between President Trump and Elon Musk. Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 6 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for acrimonious

Word History

Etymology

acrimony + -ous

First Known Use

1651, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of acrimonious was in 1651

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Cite this Entry

“Acrimonious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/acrimonious. Accessed 27 Jun. 2025.

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