Meaning & use
acrimonious divorce
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Meaning
phrasecountable
A divorce characterized by bitterness, anger, and hostility between the parties.
Grammar: Countable; can be used with 'a' or in the plural.
Patterns
- an acrimonious divorce
- go through an acrimonious divorce
- acrimonious divorce proceedings
Their acrimonious divorce dragged on for years, with frequent arguments over money.
She wanted to avoid an acrimonious divorce, so she suggested mediation.
The celebrity couple's acrimonious divorce was covered extensively in the tabloids.
Word forms
| plural | acrimonious divorces |
|---|
Common combinations
- bitter and acrimonious divorce
- The proceedings turned into a bitter and acrimonious divorce.
- acrimonious divorce battle
- The acrimonious divorce battle left both parties exhausted.
- end in an acrimonious divorce
- Their marriage ended in an acrimonious divorce.
- acrimonious divorce settlement
- The acrimonious divorce settlement took months to finalize.
Synonyms and how they differ
- bitter divorce
- Similar but less formal; 'acrimonious' emphasizes active hostility.
- contentious divorce
- Focuses on disagreement rather than bitterness; often used in legal contexts.
- hostile divorce
- Emphasizes open hostility; may be less common in formal writing.
Opposites
Word family
- acrimonious adjective
- Full of bitterness and anger.
- acrimony noun
- Bitterness and hostility in speech or behavior.
- acrimoniously adverb
- In a bitter or hostile manner.
Commonly confused: acrimonious divorce or amicable divorce?
acrimonious divorce vs amicable divorce
The opposite: a divorce that is friendly and cooperative.
Practice
Which phrase best describes a divorce that is friendly and without bitterness?
Choose one answer.
'Amicable divorce' means friendly and cooperative, the opposite of 'acrimonious divorce.' The other options all imply bitterness or hostility.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “acrimonious divorce”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.