bittersweet: Meaning and Definition of

bit•ter•sweet

Pronunciation: (adj.bit"ur swēt', bit'ur swēt"n.bit'ur&sylpswēt"), [key]
— adj.
  1. both bitter and sweet to the taste: bittersweet chocolate.
  2. both pleasant and painful or regretful: a bittersweet memory.
—n.
  1. Also calleda climbing or trailing plant, Solanum dulcamara, of the nightshade family, having small, violet, star-shaped flowers with a protruding yellow center and scarlet berries.
  2. Also calledany climbing plant of the genus Celastrus, bearing orange capsules opening to expose red-coated seeds, esp. C. scandens.
  3. pleasure mingled with pain or regret: the bittersweet of parting.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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