Meaning & use
bittersweet person
Last updated
Meaning
phrasecountable
A person whose character or life combines pleasant, warm qualities with sadness or pain.
Grammar: Countable: 'a bittersweet person' or 'bittersweet people'.
Patterns
- a bittersweet person
- seem like a bittersweet person
After losing his wife, he became a bittersweet person: kind to everyone but always a little sad.
She is a bittersweet person who laughs easily but often talks about her difficult past.
The novel's main character is a bittersweet person, loved by readers for both her warmth and her sorrow.
Common combinations
- a bittersweet person
- He came across as a bittersweet person, cheerful yet melancholy.
- seem like a bittersweet person
- She seems like a bittersweet person who has known both joy and loss.
- a bittersweet personality
- His bittersweet personality made him a memorable teacher.
Synonyms and how they differ
- melancholy
- Melancholy describes a sad, thoughtful mood or person, but it does not include the pleasant, sweet side that bittersweet does.
- complex
- Complex means having many sides; it is more neutral and does not specifically mix happiness and sadness.
Commonly confused: bittersweet person or bittersweet feeling?
bittersweet person vs bittersweet feeling
A bittersweet feeling is an emotion; a bittersweet person is a person whose character or life has both sweet and sad sides.
Practice
What does 'a bittersweet person' most likely mean?
Choose one answer.
The phrase describes a person's mixed emotional quality, not literal taste or a single negative emotion.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “bittersweet person”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.