bittersweet

noun

bit·ter·sweet | \ ˈbi-tər-ˌswēt

Definition of bittersweet

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : something that is bittersweet especially : pleasure accompanied by suffering or regret … the bittersweet of their long separation … — Christopher Morley

2 botany

a : a poisonous Eurasian woody vine (Solanum dulcamara) of the nightshade family that has purple flowers and oval reddish berries and is naturalized (see naturalize sense 4) in North America

b : a North American poisonous woody vine (Celastrus scandens) of the staff-tree family having clusters of small greenish flowers succeeded by yellow capsules (see capsule entry 1 sense 2a) that open when ripe and disclose the scarlet aril

bittersweet

adjective

Definition of bittersweet (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : being at once bitter and sweet especially : pleasant but including or marked by elements of suffering or regret a bittersweet ballad bittersweet memories

2 : of or relating to a prepared chocolate containing little sugar bittersweet chocolate chips

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Examples of bittersweet in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The moment was bittersweet: one-year-old Abduweli is Meripet's only child in Turkey. — Yanan Wang And Dake Kang, Fox News, "Empty places at the table: Uighur children missing in China," 20 Sep. 2018 The heart of this piece is its arrival at a few bars of repose near the end of the last movement, a moment of bittersweet, heart-stopping suspension. — Marcus Overton, sandiegouniontribune.com, "San Diego Symphony blazes through Shostakovich as Jahja Ling debuts as Conductor Laureate," 21 Apr. 2018 Still, the unsurprising ending is a little bittersweet. — Dieter Bohn, The Verge, "Google’s Inbox app is shutting down in March 2019," 12 Sep. 2018 For Gulati, too, Wednesday’s win allowed him to come full circle from the Qatar defeat—though not without its own tinges of bittersweet. — Grant Wahl, SI.com, "World Cup 2026 Vote Provides the Jolt U.S. Soccer Sorely Needed," 13 June 2018 Several students said the experience of graduating may be one of the most challenging and bittersweet of their four-year journey. — Alejandra Reyes-velarde, latimes.com, "Glendale High graduates begin their futures with words of wisdom," 8 June 2018 Build the backbone To make the actual wreath frame, use willow or a vine like wisteria, grape or bittersweet. — Molly Marquand, Good Housekeeping, "A Step-By-Step Guide To Creating Your Own Foraged Evergreen Wreath," 8 Dec. 2017 The novel itself is every bit as powerful and atmospheric and addictively page-turning as all the ones that came before it, but the final pages are extra bittersweet because there will be no more. — Steve Donoghue, The Christian Science Monitor, "'Greeks Bearing Gifts' will be the last in the popular 'Bernie Gunther' series begun in Nazi Germany," 5 Apr. 2018 Non-native invasives like autumn olive, multiflora rose, and bittersweet had spread throughout land that had once been pasture. — Denise Coffey, Courant Community, "A Conservation Success Story: A Landowner's Perspective," 12 Dec. 2017

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

Add 3 ounces finely chopped semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, and beat until ingredients come together. — Adina Steiman, WSJ, "This Holiday Season’s Smartest Cookie," 5 Dec. 2018 And that adds a little tragedy, a little bittersweet aspect to their ongoing relationship. — Chloe Foussianes, Town & Country, "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," 9 Dec. 2018 The timing of this announcement is certainly quite bittersweet, after fans mourned the loss of screenwriter William Goldman last week. — Sam Machkovech, Ars Technica, "That PG-13 version of Deadpool 2 you’ve been asking for is coming—with Fred Savage," 19 Nov. 2018 Janel Parrish’s wedding to Chris Long was a bittersweet affair. — Fox News, "Janel Parrish reveals father-in-law was killed by a drunk driver 2 weeks before her wedding," 24 Sep. 2018 This week started off on a bittersweet note for Little People, Big World star Amy Roloff. — Kayla Keegan, Good Housekeeping, "Amy Roloff Bids Farewell to a Key Member of the 'Little People, Big World' Team," 7 Sep. 2018 The rolling funk bass line, the Nile Rodgers-like guitar rhythms and the bittersweet chords that create that atmosphere were all in place when Fairchild strolled into the Rhythm House headquarters in August 2017. — Tom Roland, Billboard, "Makin' Tracks: Little Big Town Takes Listeners To The Beach With Sultry 'Summer Fever'," 9 July 2018 Well, maybe not about the werewolf — but for sure, the part about being bittersweet growing up. — Katherine Jones, idahostatesman, "'Being willing to be open': Boise High senior finds herself through power of words | Idaho Statesman," 26 May 2018 Princess Elisabeth of Belgium, who is next in line to the throne, set off for boarding school in Wales this week, and the royal family shared posts to both their Instagram and Twitter accounts this morning to mark the bittersweet moment. — Kara Thompson, Town & Country, "Princess Elisabeth of Belgium Headed Off to College Today," 28 Aug. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bittersweet.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.