BILIOUS Synonyms: 83 Similar and Opposite Words

bilious

adjective

ˈbil-yəs

Definition of bilious

as in irritable

having or showing a habitually bad temper a bilious old dog who snaps at everyone

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 bilious Even though his bloodwork looked normal six months previously, sudden onset or acute renal failure can happen in an old dog for no apparent reason other than age and result in bilious vomiting. — Dr. John De Jong, Boston Herald, 8 June 2025 Under Nézet-Séguin, the musicians do the job spectacularly, releasing all those bilious harmonies and seething rhythms in an unbroken two-hour spasm of excitement. — Justin Davidson, Vulture, 30 Apr. 2025 And Emily’s side of the family isn't much better, represented by her mean, bilious aunt (Allison Janney, herself no slouch in the hissing-authority department) and her boozy mother (Elizabeth Perkins, replacing Jean Smart from the first film). — Tom Gliatto, People.com, 30 Apr. 2025 The death chamber is nine feet by twelve feet, painted a bilious turquoise. — Lawrence Wright, The New Yorker, 10 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for bilious

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bilious

Adjective

Murray says her own experience has made her more understanding when female colleagues seem more tired or irritable than usual, particularly when the behavior is out of character.

— Jo Ann Liguori, Flow Space, 21 Oct. 2026
Could be because for much of the running time, Abrams’ Jay Gardiner is up against what looks like a very large irritable sphincter.

— David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of irritable

Adjective

Legend has it that sad fates befell those who made her angry and happy ones those who were kind to her.

— Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 22 Oct. 2026
Meanwhile, angry residents continue to flood once-sleepy municipal board meetings, pressuring officials to reject data center proposals.

— Marc Levy, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of angry

Adjective

Still, the internet nurtures these Hobbesian, splenetic views.

— Annie Lowrey, The Atlantic, 24 May 2026
Meanwhile, the commentator and controversialist Piers Morgan, an obsessively close observer and relentless critic of Meghan, inevitably waded in with his usual splenetic views.

— Sarah Lyall, New York Times, 17 Sep. 2022

Definition of splenetic

Adjective

Once upon a time, the idea that the world was growing stupider was mostly confined to the realm of dyspeptic reactionary polemic.

— James Marriott, Washington Post, 7 Oct. 2026
Govan might prevail on Lucas to join as well, as an idiosyncratic and dyspeptic if public-minded voice.

— Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of dyspeptic

Adjective

Mistaking being disagreeable with the act of disagreeing is common - especially in unsafe psychological workplaces.

— Kate Wieczorek, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
There are also a lot of people who have never dreamed of being disagreeable in public, much less considered joining a raucous social movement.

— Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 12 June 2026

Definition of disagreeable

Adjective

Lyons recalled how Meyer and Davis transformed her own cantankerous vision — mushrooms beside saddles, faucets beside disco balls, moldings beside dog doors — into a cohesive design language.

— Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 15 Oct. 2026
Close plays Maud Oldcastle, a cantankerous older woman who’s spent her life caring for her sister, and killing people.

— Emily Longeretta, Variety, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of cantankerous

Adjective

Whatever your pleasure, there’s no wrong way to take an acid trip.

— Emily Saladino, Bon Appetit Magazine, 19 Oct. 2026
The idea that these two would have a five-minute-or-less breakup conversation, then plop down on the couch and happily embark on an acid trip together, strains credulity a little, even for this bizarre, codependent friend group.

— Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of acid

Adjective

White and Madison are sort of like Tom Cruise and Demi Moore, building a mountain of evidence against the company, while Strong is playing an ornery witness a la Jack Nicholson.

— Marcus Jones, IndieWire, 7 Oct. 2026
But however janky, the system just about works for the ornery menfolk muddling their way through it, with their many beefs mostly resolved with a bottle of lethally alcoholic local tipple chacha, or a punch to the face, or both.

— Jessica Kiang, Variety, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of ornery

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“Bilious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bilious. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of bilious

adjective

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