bile

noun

ˈbī(-ə)l How to pronounce bile (audio)
Definition of bilenext
as in bitterness
biting sharpness of feeling or expression with considerable bile, the author recounts a childhood filled with misery and loneliness

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 bile All law enforcement smell the same, like acrid bile buried in roses. — Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 25 Aug. 2026 Richard Lloyd, a founding member and guitarist of the influential rock band Television, has been diagnosed with bile-duct cancer. — Sameen, USA Today, 24 Aug. 2026 According to the GoFundMe created by Lloyd’s bandmate and friend Sean Seymour, the musician was diagnosed with a rare and intense form of bile-duct cancer called cholangiocarcinoma in March. — Jaeden Pinder, Rolling Stone, 24 Aug. 2026 So after all that — all the bile oozing out from those tweets — the thing people were mad about wasn’t even true. — Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 18 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for bile
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bile
  1. bitterness
  2. hostility
  3. severity
  4. vitriol
  5. malice
  6. anger
  7. virulence
  8. venom
Noun
  • Instead, that generation’s gesture seems to be stymied or to miss its target and end in bitterness—which is precisely what gives these artists’ work at its best a poignancy on the other side of its aggression and humor.
    — Barry Schwabsky, ARTnews.com, 8 Sep. 2026
  • This copper beauty serves up bold floral and citrus aromas, plus the signature IPA bitterness.
    — Hudson Lindenberger, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of bitterness
Noun
  • Those moves come amid higher oil prices, with Brent crude futures hovering around $99 a barrel Tuesday amid escalating hostilities in the Middle East.
    — Sarah Min,Hugh Leask, CNBC, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Goldman's base case Goldman's forecast is based on an increase in hostilities in the Middle East.
    — Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of hostility
Noun
  • Hammer time Rating the severity of Clippers penalties Adam Silver and the NBA finally levied a punishment on the Clippers on Wednesday after 364 days of an investigation into allegations of salary-cap circumvention.
    — Zach Harper, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
  • The tone continues to be placid, the plunky marimba and steel drum score remains the same, and the performances only grow to feel even more remarkably lived-in as the severity of the situation clicks into place.
    — David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of severity
Noun
  • During the third quarter of the game, Freedom stood and raised his arms in celebration of a three-pointer made by Sophie Cunningham, the Fever star who has also received vitriol for her stance on biological men participating in women’s sports.
    — Scott Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Between these encounters Faye deals with vitriol from her cranky downstairs neighbors.
    — René Ostberg, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of vitriol
Noun
  • Toliaferro is charged with malice murder, criminal trespass and obstruction in the death of 30-year-old Kenyon Jeffries, according to the district attorney's office.
    — Rashad Williams, CBS News, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Steele said authorities concluded the shooting did not meet the legal standard for a murder charge because the evidence did not support a finding of malice or premeditation.
    — Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of malice
Noun
  • As a result, water is often scarce, and small protests have erupted, despite the fear of being detained, as anger and frustration boil over.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Hundreds of protesters rallied outside Israel’s embassy in Bangkok, demanding that foreign visitors — especially Israelis — stop flouting Thai laws and customs as anger over tourist misconduct spills into the streets.
    — Jintamas Saksornchai, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of anger
Noun
  • Firefighters and authorities in both European countries were caught off guard by the virulence of the fires, which were fueled by high temperatures and the long-term effects of climate change.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 25 July 2026
  • The virulence of the French and Spanish wildfires, fueled by high temperatures and the long-term effects of climate change, caught fire crews and authorities off guard.
    — Mark Carlson, Fortune, 25 July 2026
Definition of virulence
Noun
  • If someone is bitten, please don’t try to cut the wound or suck out the venom.
    — Elaine Reno, The Conversation, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Unlike its round-bodied namesake, this true spider has two visibly distinct body segments, which are characteristic of spiders, and does produce venom.
    — Melissa Petruzzello, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of venom

Browse Nearby Words

bilateral
bile
bilge
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bile. Accessed 14 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on bile

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about bile

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of empirical

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
funny guinea pig in glasses reading a book
Challenging Words You Should Know Vol 2 Words to the wise
See All