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Synonyms

dour

American  
[door, douuhr, dou-er] / dʊər, daʊər, ˈdaʊ ər /

adjective

  1. sullen; gloomy.

    The captain's dour look depressed us all.

    Synonyms:
    moody, sour, morose
  2. severe; stern.

    His dour criticism made us regret having undertaken the job.

  3. Scot. (of land) barren; rocky, infertile, or otherwise difficult or impossible to cultivate.


dour British  
/ ˈdaʊə, dʊə /

adjective

  1. sullen

  2. hard or obstinate

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Related Words

See glum.

Other Word Forms

  • dourly adverb
  • dourness noun

Etymology

Origin of dour

1325–75; Middle English, from Latin dūrus dure 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

But in the U.S., a dour mood has been underscored by a couple of apparent contradictions, as Jay Hatfield, a portfolio manager at Infrastructure Capital Advisors, pointed out during a conversation with MarketWatch.

From MarketWatch

Despite their struggles in the league under Postecoglou, the Australian's attacking style at least provided entertainment for long-suffering fans, in contrast to Frank's dour defensive game plan.

From Barron's

Where you want to be is serenely at the center: not too happy, nor too dour, but instead long-term greedy, making sure not to do anything stupid that loses money.

From Barron's

As they fell to a dour defeat in Braga, they completed the unholy trinity of scoring an own goal, missing a penalty and receiving a red card.

From BBC

CEO Jamie Dimon’s assessment of business and economic conditions, a typically dour exercise in detailing looming risks to the country’s prospects, was, for him, surprisingly sunny.

From Barron's