acrimonious argument
1
7.8
- noun
- /ˌækrɪˈmoʊniəs ˈɑrɡjʊmənt/
- Despite their attempts to stay calm, the debate turned into an acrimonious argument that lasted for hours.
Examples
-
They had an acrimonious argument last night.
-
An acrimonious argument erupted between the two colleagues over the project's direction.
-
Family dinners sometimes ended in an acrimonious argument that left everyone frustrated.
-
The meeting ended in an acrimonious argument.
-
The debate became an acrimonious argument that left both sides feeling angry and hurt.
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Their discussion turned into an acrimonious argument when they began to insult each other's opinions.
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After the meeting, the team was left divided due to the acrimonious argument about the project's direction.
Synonyms
687
2.3
A disagreement between people that is often angry
482
2.3
A serious disagreement between people or groups over ideas
345
3.0
A serious argument about something important that lasts a long time
298
2.4
A strong argument between people or groups, often public
63
2.0
An angry argument between people who are usually friendly
55
6.8
A noisy argument between people often in public
34
6.2
A short angry argument between people
28
6.5
A strong disagreement between people or groups
24
6.0
A noisy argument between people
17
6.7
A long heated argument about a specific issue
16
6.2
A long angry argument in public between opposing groups
16
3.5
An argument with strong feelings and different opinions
8
3.5
A strong angry disagreement between people with loud voices
7
3.8
A noisy argument in which people try to shout louder than each other
6
3.7
An argument where people speak loudly and with strong feelings
2
7.4
A noisy argument that lasts a long time
1
9.9
A noisy argument between people about a small issue
1
5.2
An angry argument with someone
1
9.9
A very angry, petty argument with personal insults
An argument between people that uses angry words
Antonyms
How Bitter
20
5.6
1
7.8
8
3.5
687
2.3
231
1.6
∞
1.4
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a bitter, angry dispute' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'acrimonious' (bitter/harsh) with 'argument' (a disagreement). This simple adjective + noun compositional pattern follows normal English semantics and is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would understand the MWE.
Etymology
Acrimonious argument comes from an old word for 'sharp' or 'bitter', like a sour taste that stings, so imagine words that hurt rather than heal. That's why acrimonious and argument together mean a fight that is 'bitter and full of anger'.