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Definitions

bitter pill

NOUN
something unavoidable and unpleasant
Synonyms


Example Sentences

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See Examples For:

It can be a bitter pill to swallow.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026

The fact that he will go down now in history as Labour's shortest-serving prime minister will be a bitter pill for him to swallow.

From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026

The Japanese considered the emperor to be divine, and a surrender was to admit his fallibility—a very bitter pill to swallow.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 17, 2026

For USC, it was an especially bitter pill to swallow, considering how well things had started.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 28, 2026

But even among poor whites, the collapse of slavery was a bitter pill.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander


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