What does acrimony mean?
Acrimony is a formal noun denoting bitterness or sharpness of feeling, especially as expressed in speech or conduct during disputes. When negotiations, divorces, or political debates are described as being conducted 'with acrimony', it means they were marked by hostility, resentment, and rancorous exchanges rather than civility. The word carries an unambiguously negative connotation and is most at home in written or elevated registers: journalism, legal writing, and serious prose. It derives from the Latin 'acrimonia', from 'acer' meaning sharp or pungent — the same root behind 'acrid', which describes a harsh, irritating smell or taste. This origin gives the word its figurative force: bitter words are imagined as having a sharp, biting quality. Acrimony is nearly always used as an uncountable mass noun, appearing in phrases such as 'bitter acrimony' or 'marked by acrimony'. It is a precise and useful alternative to vaguer terms like 'anger', since it specifically implies sustained, mutual ill will rather than a passing emotion.
nounBitterness or sharpness of feeling, speech, or manner, especially in disputes or arguments.
- Bitterness or ill feeling expressed in speech, behaviour, or relations between people, especially during disputes.
"The divorce proceedings were marked by considerable acrimony between the two parties."
"After years of acrimony, the rival companies finally settled out of court."
"She spoke of her former business partner without any trace of acrimony."
Extremely rare; acrimony is almost always treated as an uncountable noun and is not normally pluralised.
"The memoir recounts the many acrimonies of their long estrangement."
Acrimony comes from the Latin for 'sharp' — the same root that gives us 'acrid' — so a bitter argument is literally described as leaving a sharp taste.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of acrimony
Acrimony comes from Latin 'acrimonia', meaning sharpness or pungency, derived from 'acer' (sharp, keen), which also gives English 'acrid' and 'acute'. The word entered English in the mid-16th century, initially carrying both literal senses relating to sharpness or pungency and the figurative sense of bitterness of temper that survives today. Its cognates include 'acrimonious', the adjective form, and more distantly 'acumen' and 'acuity', all tracing back to the same Indo-European root meaning 'to sharpen'.
Related word forms
How acrimony is actually used
Acrimony is a formal, literary word with an unambiguously negative connotation. It is typically used to describe prolonged interpersonal conflict — legal battles, divorces, political feuds — rather than momentary irritation. It is almost always uncountable.
Easily confused with acrimony
Alimony is court-ordered financial support paid to a former spouse after divorce, whereas acrimony is bitterness of feeling or speech — the two words rhyme and often co-occur in divorce contexts but are unrelated in meaning.