acrimonious
adjective
ac·ri·mo·ni·ous
ˌa-krə-ˈmō-nē-əs 
acrimoniously
adverb
acrimoniousness
noun
Synonyms
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
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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
See More
Recent Examples on the Web
The strikes would come as the union and the Big Three — General Motors, Ford and Jeep maker Stellantis — remain far apart on wages, benefits and worker schedules after weeks of acrimonious talks.
—Lauren Kaori Gurley, Washington Post, 14 Sep. 2023
Negotiations between the writers and the studios have been acrimonious.
—Bypaolo Confino, Fortune, 23 Aug. 2023
Mayor Michelle Wu and the city’s firefighters union hammered out a new labor contract, the mayor announced Monday in a surprising move following an acrimonious process to wrap up one of the last major open labor agreements.
—Sean Cotter, BostonGlobe.com, 4 Sep. 2023
Gina Raimondo, the U.S. commerce secretary, has headed to Beijing in an attempt to find common economic ground with China while navigating an increasingly acrimonious geopolitical competition.
—Joel Gehrke, Washington Examiner, 28 Aug. 2023
The union’s negotiations with Stellantis have become particularly acrimonious.
—Jeanne Whalen, Washington Post, 25 Aug. 2023
Talks had been acrimonious on occasion, with union members at one point taking a no-confidence vote against Police Chief Ana Lalley.
—Gloria Casas, Chicago Tribune, 24 Aug. 2023
In a sign of the acrimonious debate to come, each of the House appropriations bills features sharp spending cuts that Democrats vehemently oppose -- even targeting some federal infrastructure programs that until recently had enjoyed bipartisan support.
—Tony Romm and Ian Duncan The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 20 July 2023
The column followed the release of a six-part Netflix documentary about Harry and Meghan’s acrimonious split from the British royal family.
—Brian Melley, Fortune, 2 July 2023
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Lauren Kaori Gurley, Washington Post, 14 Sep. 2023
Negotiations between the writers and the studios have been acrimonious.
—Bypaolo Confino, Fortune, 23 Aug. 2023
Mayor Michelle Wu and the city’s firefighters union hammered out a new labor contract, the mayor announced Monday in a surprising move following an acrimonious process to wrap up one of the last major open labor agreements.
—Sean Cotter, BostonGlobe.com, 4 Sep. 2023
Gina Raimondo, the U.S. commerce secretary, has headed to Beijing in an attempt to find common economic ground with China while navigating an increasingly acrimonious geopolitical competition.
—Joel Gehrke, Washington Examiner, 28 Aug. 2023
The union’s negotiations with Stellantis have become particularly acrimonious.
—Jeanne Whalen, Washington Post, 25 Aug. 2023
Talks had been acrimonious on occasion, with union members at one point taking a no-confidence vote against Police Chief Ana Lalley.
—Gloria Casas, Chicago Tribune, 24 Aug. 2023
In a sign of the acrimonious debate to come, each of the House appropriations bills features sharp spending cuts that Democrats vehemently oppose -- even targeting some federal infrastructure programs that until recently had enjoyed bipartisan support.
—Tony Romm and Ian Duncan The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 20 July 2023
The column followed the release of a six-part Netflix documentary about Harry and Meghan’s acrimonious split from the British royal family.
—Brian Melley, Fortune, 2 July 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'acrimonious.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1651, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near acrimonious
Cite this Entry
“Acrimonious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/acrimonious. Accessed 3 Oct. 2023.
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More from Merriam-Webster on acrimonious
Nglish: Translation of acrimonious for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of acrimonious for Arabic Speakers
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