: an extreme vexation or humiliation especially : one constituting a punishment, retribution, or unavoidable expedient having to seek his foe's aid was a bitter pill to take.

What does the phrase a bitter pill to swallow mean?

Definition: Something unpleasant or hurtful that is hard to accept. A bitter pill to swallow is a truth that people do not want to face but one that cannot be avoided.

How do you use bitter pill in a sentence?

Example Sentences

The news that the disease had returned was a bitter pill for Margot to swallow. The engineering company didn't take on Karl after the training program, and it was a hard pill for him to take. It must have been a bitter pill to swallow when the bank foreclosed on the mortgage.