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.

Synonyms

• acidity
• acidness
• acridity
• acridness
• asperity
• bile
• bitterness
• cattiness
• corrosiveness
• mordancy
• tartness
• virulence
• virulency
• vitriol

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 acrimony between his parents continued long after their initial split, with Christian often put in the middle of unusually difficult situations. —Julie Tremaine, Peoplemag, 11 Aug. 2024

Key Republican races The acrimony in the GOP primary in eastern Arizona's LD7 has elevated the race beyond the rural district's boundaries. —Mary Jo Pitzl, The Arizona Republic, 30 July 2024

The acrimony surrounding the leading candidates and concerns about their age have clearly begun to compete with the greater interests of the country, Biden will explain. —Julie Garel, Baltimore Sun, 17 July 2024

Indifferent to the nasty bickering among his subordinates—acrimony that went well beyond personality conflicts—Bush let issues linger in bureaucratic wastelands. —Melvyn P. Leffler, Foreign Affairs, 23 Mar. 2023

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French acrimonie, borrowed from Latin ācrimōnia, from ācr-, ācer "sharp, biting, keen" + -mōnia, suffix of abstract nouns (going back to the Indo-European noun-forming suffix *-mĕ̄n-/*-mŏ̄n- + the abstract noun formative *-i-) — more at acr-

First Known Use

1542, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

acrimony

noun

ac·​ri·​mo·​ny ˈak-rə-ˌmō-nē 

plural acrimonies

: harsh or biting sharpness especially of words, manner, or disposition

acrimonious

ˌak-rə-ˈmō-nē-əs

adjective

acrimoniously adverb

acrimoniousness noun