bitter
German, adjective
bitter is spelled B-I-T-T-E-R (6 letters) and appears 11 times per million words in written German, the 6,291st most frequent German word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). Bitter is a German adjective meaning “bitter (having a bitter taste)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). With a capital, Bitter is a different word: “one who asks or pleads; requester”. The German Wiktionary defines it as “einen besonders herben Geschmack habend, der oft als unangenehm wahrgenommen wird”.
What does bitter mean in English?
adjective
- 1
bitter (having a bitter taste)
Ich mag kein Bier, das ist mir zu bitter.
- 2
bitter, disappointing, awful
So kurz vor dem Ziel wegen einer Verletzung ausscheiden zu müssen, ist natürlich sehr bitter für ihn.
- 3
bitter, embittered (resentful and negative as a result of bad experiences)
adverb
- 1
bitterly
- 2
very, deeply; used to intensify certain negative verbs
Das hat ihn bitter enttäuscht.
noun
- 1
masculineone who asks or pleads; requester.
- 2
masculinebeggar, supplicant.
- 3
masculinerecruiter.
- 4
masculinea suitor.
noun
- 1
masculinebitters
Source: English Wiktionary, German section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How German dictionaries define it
adjective: 1. einen besonders herben Geschmack habend, der oft als unangenehm wahrgenommen wird 2. sehr unangenehm, enttäuschend, besonders schlecht 3. eine Verstärkung zum Ausdruck bringend
noun: 1. aromatisierte Spirituose mit leicht oder ausgeprägt bitterem Geschmack
The definition in the German Wiktionary, in German.
Source: German Wiktionary, dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.
Forms of bitter
- bitterer masculine nominative singular
- bittrer masculine nominative poetic
- am bittersten superlative
- bittere feminine nominative singular
- bittre feminine nominative poetic
- bitteres neuter nominative singular
- bittres neuter nominative poetic
- bitteren genitive masculine singular
- bittren genitive masculine poetic
- bitterem dative masculine singular
- bittrem dative masculine poetic
- Bitters genitive singular
- Bittern dative plural
Source: English Wiktionary and German Wiktionary (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).
English words that translate to bitter
Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.
How common is bitter in German?
bitter appears 11 times per million words in written German.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).