1. having a sharp, pungent taste, not sweet
味道苦的，不甜的
The coffee was too bitter for her to drink.
這咖啡太苦了，她喝不下去。
Dark chocolate has a bitter taste.
黑巧克力有苦味。
The medicine left a bitter aftertaste in his mouth.
藥在他嘴裡留下了苦澀的餘味。
Bitter Meaning（定義、用法、例句與發音）
bitter
adjective
快速理解
What does "Bitter" mean?What are 2-3 core uses of "Bitter"?
形容味道苦澀、情感痛苦或爭執激烈。
- 1
味道
EN: having a sharp, unpleasant taste; not sweet
翻譯: 味道尖銳、令人不悅；不甜的。
- 2
情感
EN: feeling or showing anger, hurt, or resentment because of bad experiences
翻譯: 因不好的經歷而感到或表現出憤怒、受傷或怨恨。
- 3
爭執/環境
EN: (of arguments, conflicts, or weather) very harsh and severe
翻譯: （指爭論、衝突或天氣）非常嚴厲和劇烈的。
小提醒：注意 'bitter' 不只形容味道，也常用於描述『痛苦的感受』或『激烈的對立』，例如 a bitter memory（痛苦的回憶）或 a bitter dispute（激烈的爭執）。
發音（How to Pronounce "Bitter" in English）
How to pronounce "Bitter" in English?"Bitter" US vs UK pronunciation
點擊下方的 US / UK 按鈕可播放發音。
Real-life Examples of "Bitter" from YouTube Videos
The strange politics of disgust | David Pizarro
TED
“If you are willing to do this, you can take a couple of drops of a bitter substance or a sour substance, and you'll see that face: the tongue stick out, the wrinkled nose, as if they're trying to get rid of what's in their mouth.”
(1 out of 12)
Definitions（定義）
What are the definitions of "Bitter"?How does "Bitter" change by context?
2. feeling or showing anger, hurt, or resentment because of bad experiences
（因不好的經歷而感到或表現出）憤怒的，痛苦的，怨恨的
She felt bitter about losing the competition.
她對輸掉比賽感到憤憤不平。
He made a bitter remark about his former boss.
他對前老闆說了一句尖酸刻薄的話。
After the divorce, they had a bitter custody battle.
離婚後，他們展開了一場痛苦的監護權爭奪戰。
3. very cold and unpleasant
嚴寒刺骨的，凜冽的
A bitter wind blew from the north.
一陣刺骨的寒風從北方吹來。
They endured the bitter winter in the mountains.
他們忍受了山區的嚴冬。
Wrap up warm, it's bitter outside.
穿暖和點，外面冷得刺骨。
4. hard to accept or admit; causing intense discomfort
難以接受或承認的；令人極度痛苦的
Losing the championship was a bitter disappointment.
失去冠軍是一個令人痛苦的失望。
He learned a bitter lesson from his failure.
他從失敗中學到了一個慘痛的教訓。
The truth was a bitter pill to swallow.
這個真相是一顆難以下嚥的苦果。
Grammar & Patterns（句型）
What are common sentence patterns for "Bitter"?How to make natural sentences with "Bitter"?
| Pattern | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| bitter + noun | 苦的... | The medicine had a bitter taste. (這藥有苦味。) |
| bitter + about + noun/gerund | 對...感到憤恨不滿 | She is still bitter about the divorce. (她對離婚一事仍耿耿於懷。) |
| bitter + dispute/argument | 激烈的爭執/爭論 | The meeting ended in a bitter argument. (會議以激烈的爭吵告終。) |
| bitter + cold/wind | 刺骨的寒冷/寒風 | We faced the bitter wind on the mountain. (我們在山上面對著刺骨的寒風。) |
| feel/taste/sound + bitter | 感覺/嘗起來/聽起來苦澀 | The coffee tasted bitter without sugar. (這咖啡不加糖喝起來很苦。) |
| a bitter pill (to swallow) | (難以下嚥的)苦果；令人失望的現實 | Losing the championship was a bitter pill to swallow. (失去冠軍頭銜是個難以下嚥的苦果。) |
| to the bitter end | 堅持到底；直到最後（常指不愉快的結局） | They fought the legal battle to the bitter end. (他們將這場法律戰打到了最後。) |
用法說明
How is "Bitter" different from similar structures?What usage mistakes are common with "Bitter"?
bitter about doing vs bitter to do
- bitter about doing 強調對「已經發生」的某個行為或事件感到怨恨、不滿。介系詞
about後面接動名詞 (V-ing) 或名詞，指出不滿的具體原因或對象。 - bitter to do 則用於描述「做某事」本身令人感到痛苦、辛酸或難以接受。這裡的
to do是不定詞，用來修飾主詞的狀態或特性，常與feel或be連用。 - 簡單區分：
bitter about是「對某事心懷怨恨」；bitter to是「做起來令人苦澀」。 EN: She is still bitter about losing the promotion to a less experienced colleague. 翻譯: 她對於輸給一個經驗不足的同事、沒能升職一事仍然耿耿於懷。
EN:It felt bitter to admit that he had been wrong all along.
翻譯:承認自己從頭到尾都錯了，這讓人感到苦澀。
總結建議
一般來說，表達對已發生事件的怨恨時，使用 bitter about doing；描述某動作本身令人痛苦時，則用 bitter to do。
易混淆對比
What is the difference between "Bitter" and similar words?How to choose "Bitter" vs alternatives?
bitter vs sour
「bitter」指苦味，如咖啡、黑巧克力；「sour」指酸味，如檸檬、醋。兩者都是基本味覺，但來源和感受不同。
bitter vs resentful
形容負面情緒時，「bitter」強調因失望或不幸而產生的痛苦與憤世嫉俗；「resentful」則強調因自覺受到不公平對待而產生的憤怒與怨恨。
bitter vs harsh
「bitter」形容極度寒冷時，強調刺骨、令人不適；「harsh」形容嚴酷條件時，範圍更廣，可指嚴厲、粗糙、令人痛苦。
口語用法
How is "Bitter" used in spoken English?What is the spoken vs formal difference for "Bitter"?
引述
用於引述他人的話語或想法，表示一種負面或尖銳的評論。 EN: She said, with a bitter laugh, "I should have known better." 翻譯: 她苦笑著說：「我早該知道的。」
EN:His only comment was a bitter, "Well, that figures."
翻譯:他唯一的評論就是一句尖酸的：「哼，果然如此。」
語氣強調
在口語中重複或加強語氣，以凸顯強烈的不滿、失望或諷刺。 EN: Oh, that's just bitter, bitter irony. 翻譯: 哦，這真是徹頭徹尾的、苦澀的諷刺。
EN:After the loss, the team's mood was bitter—really bitter.
翻譯:輸球後，球隊的氣氛很苦澀——真的是非常苦澀。
停頓填充
在句子中作為短暫停頓的一部分，用來組織思緒或強調即將說出的負面感受。 EN: It's a... bitter pill to swallow, but we have to accept it. 翻譯: 這是一顆…難以下嚥的苦果，但我們必須接受。
EN:The whole experience left a, well, bitter taste in my mouth.
翻譯:整個經歷在我嘴裡留下了一種，嗯，苦澀的餘味。
正式寫作注意：在正式或學術寫作中，應避免將 "bitter" 用於上述口語的停頓或即時引述結構。建議使用更精確、客觀的形容詞來描述情緒或批評，例如 "acrimonious"、"resentful" 或 "pungent"，並確保句子結構完整。
常見短語
What common collocations use "Bitter"?What fixed phrases with "Bitter" should I remember?
bitter cold
adjective + noun
嚴寒，刺骨的寒冷
bitter disappointment
adjective + noun
極度的失望，苦澀的失望
bitter rivals
adjective + noun
死對頭，宿敵
bitter taste
adjective + noun
苦味
bitter argument
adjective + noun
激烈的爭吵，痛苦的爭執
to the bitter end
prepositional phrase
堅持到底，直到最後（通常指艱難或不愉快的結局）
a bitter pill (to swallow)
noun phrase
難以接受的事實（或結果）
bitter memory
adjective + noun
痛苦的回憶，苦澀的記憶
常見錯誤
What are common mistakes with "Bitter"?Which "Bitter" sentences look correct but are wrong?
×The coffee is very bitter taste.
✓The coffee tastes very bitter.
In English, 'bitter' is an adjective that describes the noun directly. We use the verb 'taste' + adjective structure, not 'adjective + taste' as a noun phrase.
×He has a bitter feeling about his ex-girlfriend.
✓He feels bitter about his ex-girlfriend.
While 'bitter feeling' is grammatically possible, it's not the most natural collocation for emotions. 'Feel bitter about' is the standard and more idiomatic phrase.
×The winter wind was bitter cold.
✓The winter wind was bitterly cold.
'Bitter' is an adjective, but when modifying another adjective (like 'cold'), we need the adverb form 'bitterly'.
×This lemon is bitter.
✓This lemon is sour.
Confusion between 'bitter' and 'sour'. 'Bitter' describes a sharp, unpleasant taste like black coffee, dark chocolate, or some greens. 'Sour' describes the sharp, acidic taste of citrus fruits like lemons or vinegar.
×They had a bitter argue.
✓They had a bitter argument.
'Argue' is a verb. The noun form is 'argument'. After the adjective 'bitter', we need a noun.
×I am bitter with the decision.
✓I am bitter about the decision.
The correct preposition to use with 'bitter' (when describing a feeling towards something) is 'about', not 'with'.
詞形變化
What are the word forms of "Bitter"?What are tense/participle forms of "Bitter"?