bile

noun

ˈbī(-ə)l How to pronounce bile (audio)
Definition of bilenext
as in bitterness
biting sharpness of feeling or expression with considerable bile, the author recounts a childhood filled with misery and loneliness

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of bile His second-guessing doesn’t stanch his inner torrent of bile, which continues through dinner with Irène and her mother, and goes on for another fifteen pages of emotional hypotheticals and conditionals. — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 9 July 2026 The disorder caused bile to build up in her liver, causing relentless itching with little relief. — David Begnaud, CBS News, 22 June 2026 Of course, there is the usual bile spewed, saying he should be cut, traded, benched, fired or sent to the minors with a fake injury. — Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 9 June 2026 The liver has many functions including producing bile and various proteins, storage of energy, metabolizing nutrients, and, perhaps most significantly, filtering toxins and wastes from the body. — Dr. John De Jong, Boston Herald, 7 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for bile
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bile
  1. bitterness
  2. hostility
  3. severity
  4. vitriol
  5. malice
  6. anger
  7. virulence
  8. venom
Noun
  • Little united the Syrian rebels during the country’s civil war from 2011 to 2024 outside of their hatred of Assad, and Damascus has sought to cultivate this memory of bitterness to keep the country’s disparate groups together.
    — Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 11 Aug. 2026
  • The tea supplies tannins and bitterness while maple and orange recreate that familiar balance of sweet, bitter and citrus.
    — Ryan Brennan August 9, Kansas City Star, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of bitterness
Noun
  • The Soviet Union took them from Japan in the final days of World War II, and the dispute has kept the countries from signing a peace treaty formally ending their hostilities.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Riyadh and Abu Dhabi were already at loggerheads over Syria, with Saudi Arabia backing the post-Assad regime and the UAE sharing Israel’s hostility to it, and Yemen, where Saudi Arabia had just driven out Emirati proxies.
    — MARC LYNCH, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of hostility
Noun
  • But researchers stress that the more concerning trends are the severity of the injuries and the fact that they’re especially pronounced among children.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 Aug. 2026
  • The researchers found a relationship between the apparent covertness of the recording devices and the severity of the harassment.
    — Joshua Hong, Fortune, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of severity
Noun
  • The ongoing vitriol centered on race, gender and sexuality makes for daily headlines.
    — Doug Feinberg, Los Angeles Times, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Turn on any cable news network, and the national political landscape can look like a toxic wasteland, defined by vitriol, outrage, even allegations of treason.
    — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Hartford Courant, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of vitriol
Noun
  • Takamura tasks Musashi with eliminating the malice that has spread around the city.
    — Gieson Cacho, Mercury News, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Epley points out that this tendency (homophily) is often driven by fear rather than malice.
    — Julie Kratz, Forbes.com, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of malice
Noun
  • Many of his supporters harbor deep frustration and anger at the American for-profit healthcare system.
    — David Goldman, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Schore makes a similar distinction when discussing workplace anger.
    — Rodger Dean Duncan, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of anger
Noun
  • Firefighters and authorities in both European countries were caught off guard by the virulence of the fires, which were fueled by high temperatures and the long-term effects of climate change.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 25 July 2026
  • The virulence of the French and Spanish wildfires, fueled by high temperatures and the long-term effects of climate change, caught fire crews and authorities off guard.
    — Mark Carlson, Fortune, 25 July 2026
Definition of virulence
Noun
  • Ultimately, the snakes posing the greatest danger are often not those with the strongest venom, but those most likely to encounter people far from adequate healthcare.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 6 Aug. 2026
  • The venom is mildly toxic to mammals such as mice, and it is reported to only cause inflammation and skin discoloration in humans.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of venom

Browse Nearby Words

bilateral
bile
bilge
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bile. Accessed 19 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on bile

Nglish: Translation of bile for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about bile

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