sense of wormwood
- noun
- Archaic
:
amargura
- After losing the competition, she felt a deep sense of wormwood.
Examples
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His sense of wormwood was palpable after the betrayal.
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She spoke of her past with a sense of wormwood that was clear in her voice.
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After the failed negotiations, the diplomat was left with a sense of wormwood.
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He tried to hide the sense of wormwood that lingered after the loss.
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After the failed negotiations, the diplomat was left with a sense of wormwood.
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He tried to hide the sense of wormwood that lingered after the loss.
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After losing the competition, she felt a deep sense of wormwood.
Synonyms
292
1.0
A sad feeling about a past action, a loss, or a missed chance
75
3.4
A strong feeling of anger and hurt toward someone
5
7.9
A feeling of being sorry about something you did or missed
A feeling of deep hurt and anger about past wrongs
A feeling of sadness and regret about a past mistake
A deep feeling of sadness about a loss
Antonyms
How Bitter
Surface Forms
Morphology
sense + of + wormwood
The noun 'wormwood' denotes a bitter herb and 'sense of X' normally yields 'a feeling of X', so a learner who knows the parts can plausibly derive 'a feeling of bitterness.' However, 'wormwood' is literary/archaic and the extension from literal bitterness to an emotional feeling of regret is a conventional metaphor, making the specific affective nuance less predictable for a B1 learner.
Etymology
Sense of wormwood comes from the bitter plant wormwood, which has a very sharp, unpleasant taste and was used in old stories and the Bible as a sign of sorrow. So, saying someone feels a sense of wormwood paints a picture of deep 'bitterness' or 'regret'.