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

Russia’s reopening of its national pavilion—with the approval of Venice Biennale director Pietrangelo Buttafuoco—has sparked acrimony across the European art world and political sphere. —Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 27 Apr. 2026

Unlike other bands who have used a hiatus as an excuse to hide acrimony, James says the members went their separate ways with zero animosity. —Daniel Kohn, Rolling Stone, 17 Apr. 2026

Scott Green, the NFLRA’s executive director, fired a missive that laid bare the current acrimony. —Troy Renck, Denver Post, 30 Mar. 2026

And as Siniaková showed emotion of her own in the joy of vanquishing such a favorite, Andreeva started her walk out of the stadium that would end in cursing and acrimony. —James Hansen, New York Times, 10 Mar. 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
• naloxone

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