bit·ter·sweet
ˈbi-tər-ˌswēt 
1
: something that is bittersweet
especially
: pleasure accompanied by suffering or regret
… the bittersweet of their long separation … —
Christopher Morley
Christopher Morley 2
botany
a
: a poisonous Eurasian woody vine (Solanum dulcamara) of the nightshade family that has purple flowers and oval reddish berries and is naturalized (see naturalize sense 4) in North America
b
: a North American poisonous woody vine (Celastrus scandens) of the staff-tree family having clusters of small greenish flowers succeeded by yellow capsules (see capsule entry 1 sense 2a) that open when ripe and disclose the scarlet aril
1
: being at once bitter and sweet
especially
: pleasant but including or marked by elements of suffering or regret
a bittersweet ballad
bittersweet memories
2
: of or relating to a prepared chocolate containing little sugar
bittersweet chocolate chips
bittersweetly
adverb
bittersweetness
noun
Examples of bittersweet in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Jude Noel,
Pitchfork,
19 June 2026
Even though saying goodbye to my favorite boots for the season is always a little bittersweet, there are so many cute styles that make the switch seamless—and fun.
—
Annie Blackman,
InStyle,
23 May 2026
Peter Chawaga,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2026
That makes today’s tale a rather bittersweet one, because the Volvo EX30 could be the perfect antidote.
—
Jonathan M. Gitlin,
ArsTechnica,
1 July 2026
See All Example Sentences for bittersweet
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Noun
Babuka Black’s economical writing and taste for the bittersweet put her comfortably in the lineage of K icons like Rose Melberg and Lois Maffeo.
—
Jude Noel,
Pitchfork,
19 June 2026
Even though saying goodbye to my favorite boots for the season is always a little bittersweet, there are so many cute styles that make the switch seamless—and fun.
—
Annie Blackman,
InStyle,
23 May 2026
Adjective
Bo Bichette's emotional return to Toronto as a New York Met highlighted a bittersweet reunion, recalling past Blue Jays success.
—
Peter Chawaga,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2026
That makes today’s tale a rather bittersweet one, because the Volvo EX30 could be the perfect antidote.
—
Jonathan M. Gitlin,
ArsTechnica,
1 July 2026
See All Example Sentences for bittersweet
Cite this Entry
“Bittersweet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bittersweet. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
bittersweet
1 of 2 noun
bit·ter·sweet
ˈbit-ər-ˌswēt
1
: a poisonous woody vine of the nightshade family with purple flowers and oval reddish orange berries
2
: a North American woody vine with yellow seedcases that open when ripe to show the scarlet seed covers
bittersweet
2 of 2 adjective
: being both bitter and sweet
a bittersweet story
Medical Definition
bittersweet
noun
bit·ter·sweet
ˈbit-ər-ˌswēt, ˌbit-ər-ˈ
: a sprawling poisonous weedy nightshade (Solanum dulcamara) with purple flowers and oval reddish orange berries that is the source of dulcamara
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