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.
Perhaps, though, with dour scenarios already somewhat priced in, the greater market risk is the political outcome will not be as bad as feared, according to Kathleen Brooks, research director at XTB.
From MarketWatch • May 6, 2026
We watch on the monitors as Bruccoleri perfectly mimes the piano along to a track and unleashes out-of-tune vocals that are horribly dour.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 30, 2026
“Mother Mary” doesn’t truly come alive unless one is willing to engage with its dense and frequently dour text, which opens with patience.
From Salon • Apr. 24, 2026
Morgan Stanley analysts laid out a dour future for the industry in a report Thursday, saying they expect loan defaults to increase, fundraising to be sluggish and returns to disappoint.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026
The Ford stood tall and aloof and dour under the oak tree where Will had stopped it.
From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck
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.
