# take the bitter with the sweet

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/take-the-bitter-with-the-sweet
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

To accept positive things with negative things.

## Examples

- Life is not perfect, so you must take the bitter with the sweet.
- Living in a big city is exciting, but you have to take the bitter with the sweet, like the high rent and the noise.
- While the promotion offered a significant increase in salary and prestige, she knew she would have to take the bitter with the sweet, including the long hours and the added pressure.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.