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.
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
The saga began to unfold when Acting Superintendent Erin Lynch-Reyes’ bid to become the permanent leader of District 21 seemed to hit a roadblock over public acrimony between teachers and their principal at a local school in her district.
—
Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 1 Mar. 2026
The meeting came at the end of a week where a conflict between Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and OpenAI rival Anthropic burst into public acrimony, ending with the apparent cancellation of Anthropic’s contracts with the Pentagon and with the federal government in general.
—Sharon Goldman, Fortune, 27 Feb. 2026
Last week’s events in Lisbon have led to acrimony at boardroom level, between the two sets of players and potentially between supporters, but the second leg at the Bernabeu will take place without the presence of Benfica forward Prestianni.
—Dan Kilpatrick, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2026
Digital crossfire Much of the primary acrimony is driven by online influencers, many outside of Texas, who amplify narratives to promote their preferred candidate, often with quiet campaign cooperation.
—Gromer Jeffers Jr, Dallas Morning News, 16 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for acrimony
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Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 1 Mar. 2026
The meeting came at the end of a week where a conflict between Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and OpenAI rival Anthropic burst into public acrimony, ending with the apparent cancellation of Anthropic’s contracts with the Pentagon and with the federal government in general.
—Sharon Goldman, Fortune, 27 Feb. 2026
Last week’s events in Lisbon have led to acrimony at boardroom level, between the two sets of players and potentially between supporters, but the second leg at the Bernabeu will take place without the presence of Benfica forward Prestianni.
—Dan Kilpatrick, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2026
Digital crossfire Much of the primary acrimony is driven by online influencers, many outside of Texas, who amplify narratives to promote their preferred candidate, often with quiet campaign cooperation.
—Gromer Jeffers Jr, Dallas Morning News, 16 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for acrimony
Cite this Entry
“Acrimony.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/acrimony. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
acrimony
noun
ac·ri·mo·ny
ˈak-rə-ˌmō-nē
plural acrimonies
: harsh or biting sharpness especially of words, manner, or disposition
acrimonious
adjective
ˌak-rə-ˈmō-nē-əs
acrimoniously
adverb
acrimoniousness
noun
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