Link Centre Dictionary

bittersweet

bit·ters·weet

US/ˈbɪtɚˌswit/ uncommon us
adjective (2) noun (2)

adjective

1.

tinged with sadness

  • “a movie with a bittersweet ending”
Similar
2.

having a taste that is a mixture of bitterness and sweetness

Synonyms
Similar

noun

1.
2.

Origin

From Middle English bitterswete, biterswete, equivalent to bitter + sweet. Cognate with Saterland Frisian bitterswäit (“bittersweet”), West Frisian bittersoet (“bittersweet”), Dutch bitterzoet (“bittersweet”), German bittersüß (“bittersweet”), Danish bittersød (“bittersweet”), Swedish bittersöt (“bittersweet”).

Phrases

  • American bittersweet
  • oriental bittersweet

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Parts

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.