bitter pill

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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

The sale was a bit of a bitter pill for Simmons to swallow, leaving him with just $200,000 in profit after he paid $10.8 million for the combined properties.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 27, 2026

But adjusting to reality was a bitter pill for Andy to swallow.

From BBC • Jan. 30, 2026

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

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander