dour

[doo r, douuh r, dou-er]

See more synonyms for dour on Thesaurus.com

adjective

sullen; gloomy: The captain's dour look depressed us all.
severe; stern: His dour criticism made us regret having undertaken the job.
Scot. (of land) barren; rocky, infertile, or otherwise difficult or impossible to cultivate.

Origin of dour

1325–75; Middle English < Latin dūrus dure¹

Related formsdour·ly, adverbdour·ness, noun

Synonyms

See more synonyms for dour on Thesaurus.com

1. morose, sour, moody. See glum.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for dour

Contemporary Examples

This decline, not surprisingly, has engendered a dour mood among much of the yeomanry.
In the Future We'll All Be Renters: America's Disappearing Middle Class
Joel Kotkin
August 10, 2014
And so the Libyan revolution was intoxicating, which is why the world watched it much more closely than the dour Syrian struggle.
It’s Not the USA that Made Libya the Disaster it is Today
Ann Marlowe
August 3, 2014
Queen Victoria had the reputation of being a humorless, dour battleaxe, a Terminator in bombazine.
The Cult of Royal Porn
Tim Teeman
April 26, 2014
Then McQueen, who can come across as quite intense and dour, magnificently, jumped up and down.
The Changing Color of the Oscars: '12 Years A Slave' Makes History
Tim Teeman
March 3, 2014
The exuberant, indefatigable Democrat from Oregon and the dour, taciturn Republican from New Hampshire made an odd couple.
The Senate’s New Taxman Won’t Be Controlled By His Own Party
Linda Killian
February 18, 2014

Historical Examples

Grim, dour, silent, it waited for the beginning of hostilities.
Quaint Courtships
Various
He's jist as dour as ever, and as far as man could weel be frae them he cam o'!
Salted With Fire
George MacDonald
When they were so poor and the future so dour, how could she keep from earning a little money?
In a Little Town
Rupert Hughes
A most curious, dour, and moody man, with a mind roving from key to key.
John Splendid
Neil Munro
Nobody was surprised, since this dour officer had been in trouble before.
The Man Who Knew
Edgar Wallace

British Dictionary definitions for dour

dour

adjective

sullen
hard or obstinate

Derived Formsdourly, adverbdourness, noun

Word Origin

C14: probably from Latin dūrus hard

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

Word Origin and History for dour

adj.

mid-14c., "severe," from Scottish and northern England dialect, probably from Latin durus "hard" (see endure); sense of "gloomy, sullen" is late 15c.

dour

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}dour

Synonyms

Examples from the Web for dour

Contemporary Examples

This decline, not surprisingly, has engendered a dour mood among much of the yeomanry.

And so the Libyan revolution was intoxicating, which is why the world watched it much more closely than the dour Syrian struggle.

Queen Victoria had the reputation of being a humorless, dour battleaxe, a Terminator in bombazine.

Then McQueen, who can come across as quite intense and dour, magnificently, jumped up and down.

The exuberant, indefatigable Democrat from Oregon and the dour, taciturn Republican from New Hampshire made an odd couple.

Historical Examples

Grim, dour, silent, it waited for the beginning of hostilities.

He's jist as dour as ever, and as far as man could weel be frae them he cam o'!

When they were so poor and the future so dour, how could she keep from earning a little money?

A most curious, dour, and moody man, with a mind roving from key to key.

Nobody was surprised, since this dour officer had been in trouble before.

dour

Word Origin

Word Origin and History for dour

adj.

Origin of dour