Acrimony
— bitterness or hostility; harsh feelings
Acrimony refers to bitterness, hostility, and harsh feelings, especially in speech or manner. It describes the kind of sharp, resentful anger that often surfaces during disputes, breakups, or prolonged conflicts.
Acrimony goes beyond simple disagreement — it carries a tone of deep-seated resentment and ill will. The word is frequently used in legal, political, and personal contexts where relationships have soured and communication has turned poisonous. An acrimonious exchange is one filled with cutting remarks and lingering grudges.
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Memory Mnemonic
A CRY MONEY
The keyword A CRY MONEY comes from breaking Acrimony into familiar sounds — A CRY and MONEY. These everyday words are hiding inside the pronunciation, making the keyword easy to recall whenever you encounter the word.
Memory Link
Fighting over MONEY makes you CRY—bitterness and hostility!
Notice how you have both the keyword - A CRY MONEY - and the meaning - bitterness and hostility - in the memory link.
Remember to visualise this - see this vividly in action in your imagination. This helps immensely in retaining what you learn.
HOW TO MEMORIZE VOCABULARY
There are 3 steps to effectively memorising vocabulary.
Step 1: Derive a keyword from the word based on how the word is spelled or pronounced. Next time you see the word, you will be able to derive the keyword from it because it is based on the word.
Step 2: Form a visual memory link that connects the keyword and the meaning(s) of the word you are learning.
Step 3: Ensure to Visualise the image, see it in your imagination. This is important even if it takes a few seconds.
Usage Examples
- The divorce was marked by acrimony
- Acrimony between the parties grew
- The business partnership ended with such acrimony that neither founder spoke to the other again.
- Years of acrimony between the neighbours finally led to a court case over the property line.
- The parliamentary debate descended into acrimony, with personal attacks replacing policy discussion.
Etymology of Acrimony
From Latin acrimonia, meaning "sharpness, pungency," from acer — "sharp, keen." The word originally described a sharp, biting physical taste or smell, and over time it came to describe the sharp, biting quality of hostile speech and bitter emotions.
Synonyms & Antonyms of Acrimony
Synonyms
Antonyms
Common Collocations with Acrimony
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The mnemonic visualisation above helps you learn this word instantly — no rote memorisation needed. But to move it into long-term memory, you still need to review it a few times.
This is where spaced repetition comes in — it shows you words right before you're about to forget them, so you spend less time reviewing and remember more. After just a few spaced reviews, you'll start recalling the meaning naturally — without even needing the keyword or memory link.
Built In Spaced Repetition
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Our built-in spaced repetition system shows you words just before you're about to forget them, so you review less and remember more. After a few reviews, you'll recall the meaning naturally — without even needing the keyword or memory link.
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