- Today's Word
Acrimony
AK-ruh-moh-nee
Definition
(noun) Bitterness or harshness in speech, behavior, or disposition.
Example
The acrimony between the former business partners was palpable at the hearing.
Fun Fact
“Acrimony” comes from the Latin acer, meaning “sharp.” It’s often used to describe cutting, hostile tone in arguments, especially when tension lingers. Acrimonious exchanges show up in political debates, divorce trials, or long-standing rivalries—where bitterness boils beneath the words.
(noun) A complicated and confusing situation that is extremely difficult to escape or make progress through.
What began as a simple contract dispute had become a morass of litigation, counter-claims, and procedural delays that no one involved could see the end of.
Morass derives from the Dutch moeras, meaning “marsh” or “swamp,” itself from the Old French marais — “marsh.” It entered English in the 17th century with its literal meaning of boggy, waterlogged ground before quickly acquiring its figurative sense of any situation that traps and exhausts in the same way a physical swamp does — something that looks passable until you’re already in it and discovering that every step forward costs more than the last.