acrimonious

adjective

ac·​ri·​mo·​ni·​ous ˌa-krə-ˈmō-nē-əs 

: angry and bitter : caustic, biting, or rancorous especially in feeling, language, or manner

an acrimonious dispute

acrimoniously adverb

acrimoniousness noun

Synonyms of acrimonious

• angry
• rancorous
• sore
• cynical
• bitter
• embittered
• acrid
• resentful

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

On Friday, the group released their first new music since their acrimonious breakup in 2023. — Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 21 Aug. 2026

The potential answers to these plentiful questions are all over the map and tend to instigate acrimonious debates. — Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026

Lee, who left in an acrimonious split in 2022, declined to comment. — Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 20 Aug. 2026

Wednesday’s debate was acrimonious almost from the beginning, with the two interrupting each other throughout the night. — Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

acrimony + -ous

First Known Use

1651, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for acrimonious

• ceremonious
• inharmonious
• parsimonious
• sanctimonious
• erroneous
• felonious
• harmonious
• peroneus
• polonius
• unceremonious