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

Madrid supporters recognise the team are in need of a rebuild, but some have concerns over re-hiring the 63-year-old Portuguese coach, given how his first spell in charge ended in acrimony in 2013. —Guillermo Rai, New York Times, 29 May 2026

That is not to say that there wasn’t acrimony. —Tracy Grant, Encyclopedia Britannica, 19 May 2026

After so many years of acrimony and uncertainty, Grover and Evans settled the issue amicably over lunch at the Cosmos Club. —Literary Hub, 13 May 2026

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

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