dour
Americanadjective
-
sullen
-
hard or obstinate
Related Words
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.
Dour job growth predictions for last month also drew on reports of widespread layoffs and hiring freezes in tech, which appear to have had little impact on overall job growth.
From Washington Post • Aug. 5, 2022
Kraemer typically hires Teamsters but currently has no delivery contract, according to project manager Adam Dour.
From Seattle Times • Mar. 14, 2022
Dour as ever, Belichick spoke in generalities after the 33-6 defeat to the Niners that dropped New England 2 1/2 games behind the Bills, with a trip to Buffalo next weekend.
From Washington Times • Oct. 26, 2020
Dour in tone—though Feig has a funny cameo as an American tourist—it’s an oddly stiff effort that never quite finds the resonant emotional pitch that would come to him much more easily in his comedies.
From Slate • Sep. 13, 2018
But, Dour Dane or not, Ulbrickson also felt the need to say something commensurate with the occasion.
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.
