bittersweet
adj.adj. describing a feeling or situation that is both happy and sad at the same time. You use it when something good happens, but it also makes you feel a little bit of pain or regret.
adj. arousing pleasure tinged with sadness or regret. Often used to describe complex emotional states or nostalgic memories where positive and negative affects coexist.
Moving to a new city felt bittersweet.
Graduation was a bittersweet occasion as students celebrated their achievements while saying goodbye to lifelong friends.
The final chapter of the memoir offers a bittersweet reflection on a career defined by immense public success and profound personal isolation.
From Middle English bitterswete, biterswete, equivalent to bitter + sweet. Cognate with Saterland Frisian bitterswäit (“bittersweet”), West Frisian bittersoet (“bittersweet”), Dutch bitterzoet (“bittersweet”), German bittersüß (“bittersweet”), Danish bittersød (“bittersweet”), Swedish bittersöt (“bittersweet”).
Typically used as a predicative adjective after linking verbs like 'feel' or 'be', or attributively before abstract nouns like 'memory' or 'moment'.