idiom · neutral
a bitter pill to swallow
UK/ə ˌbɪt.ər ˈpɪl tə ˈswɒl.əʊ/US/ə ˌbɪt.ər ˈpɪl tə ˈswɑːl.oʊ/a·BIT·ter·PILL·to·SWAL·low
an unpleasant fact or situation that is difficult to accept
Examples
“Losing the championship was a bitter pill to swallow for the whole team.”
“It was a bitter pill to swallow when the company announced the layoffs.”
“Having to cancel the festival was a bitter pill to swallow for organisers.”
Band 8 sentence
“The court's ruling was a bitter pill to swallow for the community, but it forced them to rethink their strategy.”
Collocations
- be a bitter pill to swallow
- prove to be a bitter pill to swallow
Word family
Common mistakes
bitter pill to swallow→a bitter pill to swallow
a bitter pill to swallowed→a bitter pill to swallow
Say it for a higher band
5hard to accept→6unpleasant to accept→7+a bitter pill to swallow
Synonyms
hard to accept
an unpleasant truth
Easily confused
hard to accept
“The decision was hard to accept for many employees.”
Related words
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In Health
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