acrimonious

adjective

ˌa-krə-ˈmō-nē-əs How to pronounce acrimonious (audio)
Definition of acrimoniousnext
as in angry
having or showing deep-seated resentment an acrimonious parting between the two former friends

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of acrimonious For years, his children have been engaged in an acrimonious battle over the actor’s care and finances. — Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 16 Oct. 2026 The president and the New York attorney general have a long and acrimonious history, including her sweeping fraud case against him and his businesses and his Justice Department filing fraud charges against her last year. — Lexi Lonas Cochran, The Hill, 13 Oct. 2026 Of course, Kiffin left, a bitter and acrimonious separation that played out over 14 agonizing days, just as the Rebels prepped for their first College Football Playoff game in history. — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 14 Sep. 2026 Predictably, this set off a furious round of acrimonious criticism, know-it-all navel-gazing, and schadenfreude. — Literary Hub, 9 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for acrimonious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for acrimonious
  1. angry
  2. rancorous
  3. sore
  4. cynical
  5. bitter
  6. embittered
  7. acrid
  8. resentful
Adjective
  • Classical conservatism is about creating conditions for human flourishing, and the angry populism of the modern era is an unsatisfying substitute for older conservative ideas.
    — Colin Pascal, Baltimore Sun, 11 Nov. 2026
  • Sophie, 30, gets that the WNBA Mean Girls are busy catering to the angry purple-haired lesbians.
    — Joe Kinsey OutKick, FOXNews.com, 11 Nov. 2026
Definition of angry
Adjective
  • That reflects a broader national consensus — even amid a rancorous election campaign in which politicians are sparring over other issues — over the need for Chinese investment.
    — Jason Horowitz, New York Times, 28 Oct. 2026
  • The urge is then to try to make the financial case for paying those up-front costs, with now-rancorous calls for ‘scaling up’ investments in mitigation technologies.
    — Stephanie Walton, Fortune, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of rancorous
Adjective
  • But for most first-time buyers, the 3% era isn’t really the sore spot anymore.
    — Sydney Lake, Fortune, 6 Nov. 2026
  • In his journals Steinbeck complains about how sore his fingers got after writing with pencils all day long.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of sore
Adjective
  • The piece is an exuberantly hopeful and unabashedly patriotic look at America and its possibilities that seems downright defiant in such a deeply cynical and divided time in the nation’s history.
    — Tim Greiving, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2026
  • Far more gruesome and cynical than its YA label would imply, Weiner’s brisk novel is the literary equivalent of a sugar rush.
    — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of cynical
Adjective
  • The Daily Caller is clearly positioning itself for a landscape not just post-midterms but post- Trump, and for a bitter and intensifying intra-party media battle.
    — Max Tani, semafor.com, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Without that delicate balance, the character could have come off as too bitter, on one end of the spectrum, or too tragic.
    — Kristen Lopez, IndieWire, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of bitter
Adjective
  • Snow is forced to attempt to kill Lucy Gray to protect his secrets and returns to the Capitol an embittered, hardened man.
    — Sophia Zhang, Encyclopedia Britannica, 12 Nov. 2026
  • After a pair of SEC Championships and a national title during his five-year tenure with the Tigers, Saban departed for the NFL, leaving many folks on the bayou feeling embittered and betrayed.
    — Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of embittered
Adjective
  • All law enforcement smell the same, like acrid bile buried in roses.
    — Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Finding places to play Eight miles from central Nairobi, the air over the Dandora landfill is gauzy with the acrid, chemical smoke of burning garbage.
    — Ryan Lenora Brown, Christian Science Monitor, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of acrid
Adjective
  • The great New Zealand actor Rachel House, as Chrissie’s housekeeper, has been tasked with bringing a discordantly comedic note by playing the character as overtly resentful of Klara’s arrival.
    — Alison Willmore, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The once-promising prodigy will grow dissolute, remorseful and resentful of his wife, who outlives him.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of resentful

Browse Nearby Words

acridness
acrimonious
acrimoniously
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Cite this Entry

“Acrimonious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/acrimonious. Accessed 13 Nov. 2026.

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