Vocabulary in context
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Dour
Sullen, gloomy, stern, or hard; describes a mood, demeanor, or atmosphere that is unfriendly or severe.
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Imagine This
Imagine the clock approaching midnight. 'The hour has come,' the executioner told the death-row inmate to go into the gas chamber. At that point, the inmate felt everything becoming gloomy. Sour dough bread is usually hard to swallow.
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Sounds Like
sounds like 'door' (rhymes with 'hour')
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Looks Like
Sour
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Remember This
Dour originally comes from Old French dur, from Latin durus meaning 'hard' or 'tough.' The sense of a stern, unfriendly demeanor developed from the idea of something hard or unyielding.
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Other Forms
dournessnoun
dourlyadverb
dourishadjective
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Connect With
grim, austere, stern, severe
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Note
Avoid using dour to describe things that are merely sad or depressing; it denotes a stern, unfriendly, or harsh mood or appearance. Not the same as 'dreary' or 'melancholy' in everyday use.
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Study Deeper
Examples
- The teacher's dour expression warned the students to stop talking.
- The town faced a dour winter with little sunlight and high winds.
Synonyms
sternseveregloomysullenmorose
Antonyms
cheerfulcheeryoptimistic
Etymology
From Old French dur (hard), from Latin durus (hard, tough). The sense evolved to describe a hard, stern demeanor.
Mnemonic
Dour sounds like door; imagine a closed, unyielding door—unapproachable and stern. Also link to 'sour' for the mood sense.
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Similar Words
Related words and words with the same part of speech.
Austere
adjectiveSeverely strict in living or thinking; plain, spare, and without luxury; stern.
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adjectiveDifficult to understand; obscure or highly complex.
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adjectiveHappening by chance or without deliberate planning; not intended. In music, it is also a noun for a symbol that temporarily alters a pitch.
Acerbic
adjectiveSharp or biting in tone or taste; caustic or mordant in manner.
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adjectiveReady to agree or approve without protest; compliant.
Adamant
adjectiveRigid in opinion or purpose; not willing to change one's mind or position.
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