as in sorrowfully
with feelings of bitterness or grief
cried bitterly after her grandmother died
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Recent Examples of bitterly
After Adele and her mother had fought, bitterly, about her decision to keep the baby, and then more bitterly about her refusal to find Jamie in Florida and demand child support, Bromley invited her to live with him while things cooled down at home.
—
Jonathan Franzen, New Yorker, 1 June 2026
During the Nullification Crisis of 1831–1833, partisan journalists had a major role in framing the issue and were bitterly opposed to one another, especially in South Carolina.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 26 May 2026
On February 20, 1933, a bitterly cold winter day, President Hoover had laid the cornerstone of the new archives.
—Literary Hub, 13 May 2026
Players and owners fought bitterly about how many games should be played during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, settling on 60 games.
—Evan Drellich, New York Times, 12 May 2026
But Starmer has been reluctant to reopen a debate that bitterly divided the country.
—Jill Lawless, Fortune, 11 May 2026
Several thousand navvies worked on the railway, living in makeshift camps, and many died in accidents, or from exposure and disease in the bitterly cold winters.
—The Week Uk, TheWeek, 3 May 2026
Advertisement The election was among the most bitterly contested in history, with no clear winner and both parties claiming victory.
—Fergus M. Bordewich, Time, 30 Apr. 2026
The seconds that followed our spill into Missinaibi’s bitterly cold waters were confused.
—Jim Hoagland, Outdoor Life, 30 Apr. 2026
Jonathan Franzen, New Yorker, 1 June 2026
During the Nullification Crisis of 1831–1833, partisan journalists had a major role in framing the issue and were bitterly opposed to one another, especially in South Carolina.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 26 May 2026
On February 20, 1933, a bitterly cold winter day, President Hoover had laid the cornerstone of the new archives.
—Literary Hub, 13 May 2026
Players and owners fought bitterly about how many games should be played during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, settling on 60 games.
—Evan Drellich, New York Times, 12 May 2026
But Starmer has been reluctant to reopen a debate that bitterly divided the country.
—Jill Lawless, Fortune, 11 May 2026
Several thousand navvies worked on the railway, living in makeshift camps, and many died in accidents, or from exposure and disease in the bitterly cold winters.
—The Week Uk, TheWeek, 3 May 2026
Advertisement The election was among the most bitterly contested in history, with no clear winner and both parties claiming victory.
—Fergus M. Bordewich, Time, 30 Apr. 2026
The seconds that followed our spill into Missinaibi’s bitterly cold waters were confused.
—Jim Hoagland, Outdoor Life, 30 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bitterly
Adverb
-
Tarun would tease her, and my mother would look sorrowfully toward Kavitha, as if the two of them now shared some womanly burden.—
Madhuri Vijay,
New Yorker,
16 Nov. 2025
Adverb
-
But sadly, this effort is being affected in a negative manner by neighboring counties.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
11 June 2026
-
An Indianapolis woman reported missing earlier this year along with her seven children has sadly been found dead in Mexico, though her kids are safe, her family told IndyStar.—
Joe Mutascio,
IndyStar,
10 June 2026
Adverb
-
So is the moment early in the film when Mary mournfully looks on as her long-ago home faces demolition to make room for a big, featureless residential complex.—
Peter Tonguette,
The Washington Examiner,
6 June 2026
-
Things are getting hot in Kayce's love life, even after the widower mournfully visits the East Camp memorial to his beloved wife, Monica Dutton (Kelsey Asbille).—
Bryan Alexander,
USA Today,
25 May 2026
Adverb
-
The novel painfully exposes the ruthless mistreatment and exploitation of both racehorses and humans in this era and tracks the ripples of that trauma through time.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 June 2026
-
Audiences fell in love with Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt’s pitch-perfect chemistry as Paul and Jamie Buchman, a married couple whose everyday misadventures felt hilariously — sometimes painfully — relatable.—
Declan Gallagher,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 June 2026
Adverb
-
The United States often feels more fractured than fraternal, a search for commonality hard to find in a land of boundaries drawn harder each day.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
13 June 2026
-
Condos have been hit hard by rising costs associated with ownership, such as HOA dues and homeowners insurance.—
Andrea Riquier,
USA Today,
13 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bitterly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bitterly. Accessed 15 Jun. 2026.
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