imbitter
Syllables: im·bit·terUK/ɪmˈbɪtə/US/əmˈbɪtəɹ/
imbitter is the obsolete spelling of embitter.
Meaning of embitter
Verb
embitter (third-person singular simple present embitters, present participle embittering, simple past and past participle embittered)
- To cause (something) to be or taste bitter; to bitter.
- Synonyms:
- acerbate
- To cause (a positive quality such as happiness, or a thing such as an activity or one's life) to become less good or pleasurable; also, to make (a negative quality, or thing such as a disagreement) worse or more unpleasant.
- He imbitters not a diſtaſtfull meſſage to a forrein Prince by his indiſcretion in delivering it.1642, Thomas Fuller, “The Good Herald”, in The Holy State, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: […] Roger Daniel for John Williams, […], →OCLC, book II, paragraph 2, page 142
- To cause (someone or their feelings) to become more angry, resentful, or unfriendly; to envenom.
- Sometimes it [pride] ſtirreth vp men, and imboldeneth them to offer vvrongs: ſometimes imbittereth men; and maketh them vvayvvard againſt the right: […]1608, John Dod, Robert Cleaver, “Chapter XIII. [Vers[e] 10. Through mere pride doth man make contentions; but with the well aduised is wisedome.]”, in A Plaine and Familiar Exposition of the...
Forms of imbitter
| third-person singular present | imbitters |
|---|---|
| present participle | imbittering |
| past participle | imbittered |
| past | imbittered |
| second-person singular present (archaic) | imbitterest |
| second-person singular past (archaic) | imbitteredst |
| third-person singular present (archaic) | imbittereth |
Origin of imbitter
From im- + bitter; see further at embitter.
Words formed from imbitter
Words that rhyme with imbitter
18 more rhymesFewer rhymes
Questions about imbitter
- What is imbitter the obsolete spelling of?
- Imbitter is the obsolete spelling of embitter.
- How do you pronounce imbitter?
- Imbitter is pronounced /ɪmˈbɪtə/ (UK).
Words near imbitter in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: imbitter (page history and authors); embitter (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Cite this entry: “imbitter.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/imbitter. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
