Words / C2

AKR-im-uh-nee/ˈækrɪməni/

Acrimony is bitterness in a dispute (formal): end in acrimony, acrimonious (already in the dictionary) is the adjective. Bitterness and hostility are everyday. Acrid is a sharp smell — a lookalike. Do not write acrimony for a calm, minuted disagreement.

Meaning

Bitter, angry feeling in a dispute (formal).

Examples

• “The merger ended in acrimony and two rival minutes of the same vote.”
• “The merger closed in acrimony: two rival minutes of one vote.”
• “Acrimonious talks are the adjective. Bitterness is everyday. Acrid smoke is a smell. Antipathy (this batch) is dislike without the quarrel. A polite dissent in the minutes is not acrimony.”

Good to know

Bitterness in a quarrel. Adjective: acrimonious. Everyday: bitterness. Mix-up: acrid (smell). Not a calm, recorded disagreement.

Near in meaning

bitterness

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