bitterly

Etymology

From Middle English bitterli, biterli, biterliche, from Old English biterlīċe, bitterlīċe (“bitterly”), equivalent to bitter +‎ -ly. Cognate with German Low German bitterlik (“bitterly”), German bitterlich (“bitterly”), Swedish bitterligen (“bitterly”).

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈbɪtəɹli/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈbɪtəli/
• Hyphenation: bit‧ter‧ly

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Adverb

bitterly (comparative more bitterly, superlative most bitterly)

1. In a bitter manner.
   • 1898, Winston Churchill, chapter 4, in The Celebrity:

     Judge Short had gone to town, and Farrar was off for a three days' cruise up the lake. I was bitterly regretting I had not gone with him when the distant notes of a coach horn reached my ear, and I descried a four-in-hand winding its way up the inn road from the direction of Mohair.

   • 2011 October 1, Phil McNulty, “Everton 0-2 Liverpool”, in BBC Sport:

     Liverpool's £58m strikeforce of Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez scored the goals that settled the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park - but Everton were left complaining bitterly about Jack Rodwell's controversial early red card.