dour
Americanadjective
-
sullen
-
hard or obstinate
Synonym Usage
See glum.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of dour
1325–75; Middle English, from Latin dūrus dure 1
Explanation
Dour describes something sullen, gloomy, or persistent. You might look dour on your way to picking up your last check from the job you just got fired from, and people should get out of your way. Dour and endure most likely come from the Latin word durus which means "hard." If something is hard to endure for a long enough time, it can make even the most happy-go-lucky person dour. Dour sounds like sour (or closer to "do-er"). It's a tomato/tamahto word, but either way — if you're in a sour mood, you have no sense of humor, and you're dour.
Vocabulary lists containing dour
300 Most Difficult "SAT" Words
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In the Mood? 100 Words to Describe Emotions
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More Negative Words to Describe a Person
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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.
Legally Blonde was "fun, fresh and brilliantly paced", she writes, but Elle is "dour, boring and tedious" despite its solid supporting cast, which includes James Van Der Beek in one of his final acting roles.
From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026
McVay had spent the previous availability explaining the reason for his somber and dour countenance during an awkward news conference the night before.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 31, 2026
“Are the relatively dour readings seen in recent months being disproportionately driven by Democrats?” asked Joanne Hus, director of the survey.
From MarketWatch ● May 22, 2026
Readings below 50 below indicate homebuilders have a dour outlook for the single-family housing market in the near term.
From Barron's ● May 17, 2026
“They seem to be getting slower every day,” a dour and subdued Bolles complained.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
