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
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
Despite acrimonious negotiations and occasional lawsuits over major players, the NHL and KHL reached an informal agreement to respect each other's contracts in 2010.
—Elissa Harwood, NPR, 3 Apr. 2024
An interview with Rolling Stone in 1971 detailed their acrimonious split over differing political approaches and money.
—Althea Legaspi, Rolling Stone, 2 Apr. 2024
Bitcoin Cash was born after an acrimonious split with Bitcoin in 2017 over whether to increase Bitcoin’s block size.
—Steven Ehrlich, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
There’s love between the kid and her dad, and the split with Gu’s wife wasn’t acrimonious so much as due to a passion-depleting excess of mutual politeness.
—Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2024
Board meetings have turned acrimonious while allegations of malfeasance are traded in court.
—Jonathan Shorman, Kansas City Star, 22 Mar. 2024
Whether your split is acrimonious or decently friendly, though, the objective is the same for every party: feeling like the slog was worth the time, money, and emotional energy.
—Elizabeth Kiefer, Glamour, 25 Dec. 2023
Tuesday’s announcement comes three years after Liberty’s acrimonious split with former president Jerry Falwell Jr., whose exit followed his posting of a provocative photo of himself online as well as revelations of his wife’s extramarital affair.
—Ben Finley, Fortune, 6 Mar. 2024
Matt McClain/The Washington Post via Getty Images Tuesday's announcement comes three years after Liberty's acrimonious split with former president Jerry Falwell Jr., whose exit followed his posting of a provocative photo of himself online as well as revelations of his wife's extramarital affair.
—CBS News, 6 Mar. 2024
Elissa Harwood, NPR, 3 Apr. 2024
An interview with Rolling Stone in 1971 detailed their acrimonious split over differing political approaches and money.
—Althea Legaspi, Rolling Stone, 2 Apr. 2024
Bitcoin Cash was born after an acrimonious split with Bitcoin in 2017 over whether to increase Bitcoin’s block size.
—Steven Ehrlich, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
There’s love between the kid and her dad, and the split with Gu’s wife wasn’t acrimonious so much as due to a passion-depleting excess of mutual politeness.
—Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2024
Board meetings have turned acrimonious while allegations of malfeasance are traded in court.
—Jonathan Shorman, Kansas City Star, 22 Mar. 2024
Whether your split is acrimonious or decently friendly, though, the objective is the same for every party: feeling like the slog was worth the time, money, and emotional energy.
—Elizabeth Kiefer, Glamour, 25 Dec. 2023
Tuesday’s announcement comes three years after Liberty’s acrimonious split with former president Jerry Falwell Jr., whose exit followed his posting of a provocative photo of himself online as well as revelations of his wife’s extramarital affair.
—Ben Finley, Fortune, 6 Mar. 2024
Matt McClain/The Washington Post via Getty Images Tuesday's announcement comes three years after Liberty's acrimonious split with former president Jerry Falwell Jr., whose exit followed his posting of a provocative photo of himself online as well as revelations of his wife's extramarital affair.
—CBS News, 6 Mar. 2024
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.
Dictionary Entries Near acrimonious
Cite this Entry
“Acrimonious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/acrimonious. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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