bitter pill

noun

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see bitter, pill.

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Meanings

nounbitter pill (plural bitter pills)

plural bitter pills

  1. abbreviationellipsisfigurativelyEllipsis of bitter pill to swallow.

    By the final whistle at Murrayfield last night, the Australians were choking back the bitter pill of disappointment and defeat.

    2004 November 7, Simon Turnbull, “Young Scots give Williams a silver lining”, in The Independent, UK
  2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see bitter, pill.

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
bitter pill to swallow
Cite this entry
APA

bitter pill. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bitter%20pill

MLA

“bitter pill.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bitter%20pill. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bitter pill,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bitter%20pill.

Source: bitter pill on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.