Meaning & use
acrimony
Last updated
UK/ˈæk.rə.mə.ni/
US/ˈæk.rə.moʊ.ni/
Meaning
noununcountableformal
Bitter feeling or harsh speech during a disagreement, often after relations have soured.
Grammar: No plural; often with divorce, debate, or dispute: acrimony between former partners.
Patterns
- acrimony between people
- acrimony over something
- bitter acrimony
The divorce ended with surprising acrimony.
Acrimony over funding delayed the project for months.
Common combinations
- bitter acrimony
- Bitter acrimony replaced the earlier cooperation.
- acrimony between former partners
- Acrimony between former partners complicated the sale.
- without acrimony
- They settled the dispute without acrimony.
Synonyms and how they differ
- bitterness
- Bitterness is everyday and broader; acrimony suggests sharp public hostility.
- hostility
- Hostility can include actions; acrimony is especially bitter words and tone.
- rancor
- Rancor is deep continuing resentment; acrimony often surfaces in exchanges.
- animosity
- Animosity is active dislike; acrimony stresses the sour tone of a dispute.
Opposites
Word family
- acrimonious adjective
- Bitter and sharp in speech or dispute.
- acrimoniously adverb
- In a bitter or hostile way.
Commonly confused: acrimony or alimony?
acrimony vs alimony
Alimony is court-ordered support after divorce; acrimony is bitterness, though a divorce may involve both.
Practice
Which sentence uses acrimony correctly?
Choose one answer.
Acrimony is an uncountable noun for bitter feeling in a dispute. It is not a countable ingredient, instrument, or crop.
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