swallow a bitter pill

verb

To accept or endure an unpleasant situation.

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Meanings

verbswallow a bitter pill (third-person singular simple present swallows a bitter pill, present participle swallowing a bitter pill, simple past and past participle swallowed a bitter pill)

present singular third person swallows a bitter pill · participle present swallowing a bitter pill · participle past swallowed a bitter pill · past swallowed a bitter pill

  1. idiomaticTo accept or endure an unpleasant situation.

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
abide byacquiesce

Translations

French avaler la pilule
  • avaler la piluleTranslations
German in den sauren Apfel beißen
  • in den sauren Apfel beißenTranslations
Cite this entry
APA

swallow a bitter pill. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/swallow%20a%20bitter%20pill

MLA

“swallow a bitter pill.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/swallow%20a%20bitter%20pill. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “swallow a bitter pill,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/swallow%20a%20bitter%20pill.

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