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

This was prior to the public acrimony between Diana and Charles, and photos seemed to confirm the happy family unit. — Katherine J Igoe, InStyle, 26 Sep. 2026

Ahead of the meeting, rhetoric from Washington and Beijing has underscored only deepening acrimony and distrust over their rush to dominate the technological frontier. — Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026

The Royal Family, whose relations with Spencer have long been strained, are said to fear the book could contain numerous bombshells about Charles and Diana’s relationship, which was infamously plagued by adultery and acrimony. — K.j. Yossman, Variety, 17 Sep. 2026

Many, if not most, partition sales of a home have had extreme acrimony between the joint owners. — Christopher A. Combs, AZCentral.com, 1 Sep. 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