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bitter (German)

concept / concept-word-bitter-de

bitter（ドイツ語）

Bitter (German) is the German adjective bitter. Besides taste, it has figurative uses for distress, sharpness, and resentment, as well as a use expressing intensification.

On this page (6 sections)
  1. Overview
  2. Sources for this overview (1)
  3. Topic hubs
  4. Other names
  5. Related entries (10)
  6. Culture (3)
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Reading the bitterness

Bitter is a German adjective. DWDS (Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache, eWDG 1967) defines its taste sense as 『Geschmacksbezeichnung: gleich dem Geschmack der Galle』 (in translation: "A taste designation: like the taste of bile"). It gives examples of bitterness like bile or wormwood and bitter almonds.

The same dictionary gives figurative senses: in elevated style, 「つらい、痛ましい」 (in translation: "painful, distressing"), 「鋭い、刺すような」 (in translation: "sharp, biting"), and 「恨みを抱いた」 (in translation: "resentful"). It illustrates them with 『bitterer Hohn, Humor, Spott, Groll』 (in translation: "bitter mockery, humor, sarcasm, and resentment").

For etymology, DWDS cites Wolfgang Pfeifer’s etymological dictionary, describing bitter as 『herb und unangenehm im Geschmack』 (in translation: "astringent and unpleasant in taste") and figuratively as 「つらい、鋭い、刺すような」 (in translation: "painful, sharp, biting"). It traces the word back to 8th-century Old High German bittar and associates it with beißen (in translation: "to bite") through the Proto-Germanic suffix -ra-. Its original sense is given as 『beißend, schneidend, scharf』 (in translation: "biting, cutting, sharp").

Sources for this overview

  1. bitter — Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache (DWDS)

    Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften / / other / full text checked

    Checked for this overview: Presented the dictionary’s taste definition comparing it with bile. / Presented figurative senses and examples of distress and resentment. / Presented the etymological account linking it to beißen (“to bite”).

Other names: bitter (de)

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Culture (3)

bitter (German) is defined in a dictionary as 『Geschmacksbezeichnung: gleich dem Geschmack der Galle』 (in translation: "A taste designation: like the taste of bile"). Examples: 『bitter wie Galle, Wermut（胆汁やニガヨモギのように苦い）』 (in translation: "bitter like bile or wormwood") and 『bittere Mandeln（苦扁桃）』 (in translation: "bitter almonds").contextual

Scope: DWDS (eWDG 1967), headword bitter, sense 1.

The German definition is a taste designation, in effect: like the taste of bile. Examples: bitter like bile or wormwood, and bitter almonds.
Limitations: The print original was not checked; only the content displayed in the online dictionary was consulted.
Source: bitter — Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache (DWDS) (Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften) · full text checked
Show dataconcept-word-bitter-de —is_defined_in_dictionary_as→ (the claim sentence above)
claim: clm-w59c-de-taste / type: cultural / updated: 2026-09-04
bitter (German) is presented as: 『gehoben, übertragen: schmerzlich』『scharf, beißend』『verbittert』. Examples: 『bittere Tränen vergießen』『bitterer Hohn, Humor, Spott, Groll』 (in translation: "elevated, figurative: painful"; "sharp, biting"; "embittered." Examples: "to shed bitter tears"; "bitter mockery, bitter humor, bitter derision, bitter resentment")contextual

Scope: DWDS (eWDG 1967), headword bitter, sense 2

The German entry labels the painful sense as elevated and figurative. It also gives the senses sharp and biting, and embittered. Examples include shedding bitter tears and bitter mockery, humor, derision, and resentment.
Limitations: The print original was not checked; only the content displayed in the online dictionary was consulted.
Source: bitter — Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache (DWDS) (Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften) · full text checked
Show dataconcept-word-bitter-de —is_presented_as→ (the claim sentence above)
claim: clm-w59c-de-metaphor / type: cultural / updated: 2026-09-04
bitter (German) — etymology of the name: 『bitter Adj. "herb und unangenehm im Geschmack", übertragen "schmerzlich, scharf, beißend"...ahd. bittar (8. Jh.)...gehört mit dem Suffix germ. -ra- zu beißen (s. d.)...Ursprünglich "beißend, schneidend, scharf"』 (bitter means 「渋く不快な味の」 (in translation: "astringent and unpleasant in taste") and figuratively 「つらい、鋭い、刺すような」 (in translation: "painful, sharp, biting"); it goes back to eighth-century Old High German bittar, belongs with beißen (in translation: "to bite") through the Proto-Germanic suffix -ra-, and originally meant 「噛みつくような、切るような、鋭い」 (in translation: "biting, cutting, sharp")).contextual

Scope: DWDS, headword bitter, etymology (Wolfgang Pfeifer, Etymologisches Wörterbuch).

The entry says that bitter means astringent and unpleasant in taste and, figuratively, painful, sharp, and biting; it goes back to 8th-century Old High German bittar, belongs with beißen ("to bite") through the Proto-Germanic suffix -ra-, and originally meant biting, cutting, and sharp.
Limitations: The print original was not checked; only the content displayed in the online dictionary was consulted.
Source: bitter — Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache (DWDS) (Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften) · full text checked
Show dataconcept-word-bitter-de —has_name_etymology→ (the claim sentence above)
claim: clm-w59c-de-etymology / type: cultural / updated: 2026-09-04

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