bitter pill

NOUN

something unavoidable and unpleasant

Synonyms

WEAK

bad part bitter cup bummer downer downside wormwood

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.

These demands would be a bitter pill for Washington and its Gulf Arab allies to swallow.

From BBC • Mar. 25, 2026

Paramount would have a bitter pill to swallow if regulators actually blocked the transaction.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026

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

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 28, 2026

It would be a bitter pill to swallow if you had to hire another heating engineer and pay a third time.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 7, 2026

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

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander