bitterly
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
in a way that shows you feel very angry, hurt, or disappointed.
in a manner characterized by intense animosity, resentment, or deep disappointment.
Simple“He complained bitterly about the way his boss had treated him.”
In context“The former partners fought bitterly over the division of their remaining assets, refusing to speak to one another during the mediation.”
UsageOften modifies verbs of speaking or feeling, such as 'complain', 'weep', or 'regret'.
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
used to describe weather that is painfully or unpleasantly cold.
to an extreme and unpleasant degree; almost exclusively used as a collocate for 'cold'.
Simple“It was a bitterly cold morning, and the wind cut through my coat.”
In context“The expedition was forced to turn back when the weather became bitterly cold, making it impossible to maintain the equipment.”
UsagePrimarily used to modify the adjective 'cold'.
From Middle English bitterli, biterli, biterliche, from Old English biterlīċe, bitterlīċe (“bitterly”), equivalent to bitter + -ly. Cognate with German Low German bitterlik (“bitterly”), German bitterlich (“bitterly”), Swedish bitterligen (“bitterly”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.